Elderly man punches bear in the face to save his dog

Let this be a lesson to all bears: don't mess with Carl Moore or his dog.

The 73-year-old California man risked his life by punching a bear in the face after it attacked his beloved Chihuahua, Lacey. He tells

that he heard Lacey whimpering outside and that's when he saw the bear.

"I raised both hands in the air and I cussed at him. And he looked at me like 'go eff yourself'," said Moore.

Since the bear wasn't looking like it was going to back down, Moore did something crazy: he ran up to it and punched it right in its furry face!

"I hit him hard. Tyler said I damn-near corkscrewed his head."

Moore, an ex-Marine, is known to be tough, says one of his friends of 25 years.

"He's been in ballroom brawls and all kinds of stuff."

Moore says he doesn't think the bear will return but if it does, he's ready for round two.

"This guy's a jerk but he ain't been back since he got smacked by Carl."

Watch the video

.