Monrovia, California - This dog was astonished to see a black bear suddenly stand on his doorstep in the middle of the night and try to enter. Footage from a surveillance camera recorded the whole spectacle!

Elderly pooch Doodle must have had the fright of his life when he literally came face to face with danger.

While his owner Zoe Cadman slumbered peacefully in her bed, Doodle paced around the house, only to discover that there was an uninvited guest at his door.

A black bear had gained access to the house, suddenly stuck its head in through the door, and looked the 17-year-old pupper straight in the face.

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The intruder immediately swiped at the dog with his paw, but the pet flinched and took a few steps backward.

As the clip goes on to show, shortly afterwards the two of them stood frozen opposite each other, as if they hadn't expected the other to be there – which was probably the case.

For a brief moment, Doodle seemed about to fight the bear, but then his fear of the beast took over and he ran off with his tail between his legs.

The black bear strolled leisurely after him towards the kitchen, as Zoe Cadman wrote in the camera footage on Instagram.

The dog owner finally woke up when she heard the intruder rummaging through her fridge. She then ran out of the house screaming.

She thanked her faithful protector Doodle under her post, saying he had saved the day!