WATCH: 17 Year-Old Who Fought Off Bear in Viral Video — With the Tiny Dog She Saved — Tells the Tale to CNN

Hailey Morinico, the 17-year-old who gained viral celebrity after being captured on video rescuing her dog from a bear, appeared with the once-imperiled pup to tell the tale to CNN anchors John Berman and Brianna Keilar — and even got off a solid ursine pun.

Morinico was cauught on a surveillance camera at her Bradbury, California home fighting off a momma bear who — to protect her cubs from a perceived threat — had grabbed one of Morinico’s dogs, pushing the bear off a ledge and gathering up the dogs to escape.

The video was an instant sensation on social media, and on Wednesday morning, the teen joined CNN’s New Day to talk about the harrowing incident — all the while holding Valentina, the Yorkie she’d wrested from the bear’s grasp.

Morinico said that “there was nothing really going through my mind except that I had to protect my dogs. The bear, she was picking up this dog, Valentina, and she was literally off of the ground, and I had to do what I had to do. So I knelt down and I had about 2 seconds to think, and the first thing that popped into my head was to push the bear off the ledge.”

An astonished Berman said “You fought a bear to protect your dog,” and asked “What possessed you to do that?”

“This dog Valentina, she was in danger really, and she’s so important to the family,” Morinico said, explaining that “She’s my mother’s emotional support animal, and I couldn’t bear to let anything happen to her because I know the pain would have been way too much for my mom to handle, and really I think I did this for her.”

Couldn’t bear to let anything happen? She’s got a future in local news.

Morinico also displayed a splinted finger that she jammed while pushing the bear, but all in all, everything worked out.

Watch above via CNN.