80-year-old woman attacked by bobcat while gardening

An elderly New Hampshire woman fought off a bobcat with the help of her dogs and gardening sickle.

80-year-old Elsie Dabrowski was putting her chickens away and tending to her garden Sunday night when a bobcat lunged at her face. He managed to tear her skin and reach bone.

"It's still hard to believe," she told WMUR. "This little thing just came and attacked me, but he was strong. He was really strong."

Thankfully, Dabrowski was able to beat him off with her sickle; her five dogs chased him away. Gene Dabrowski, her son, heard the noise and grabbed his shotgun to help.

Gene, a director in Sullivan County for the New Hampshire Trappers Association, was able to kill the bobcat. It was brought to New Hampshire Fish and Game to test for rabies.

Dabrowski needed 50 stitches after the ordeal but considers herself lucky.

"It could have got my eye. Could have got my jugular, the way he was biting," she told WMUR. "Could have got anything, you know? God is good."