Carol And The Black Bear

We normally do not report on any bear activity around our home. A few years ago I posted a mother with cubs hanging around. People in our community saw the post and word got out and our road was a steady stream of traffic of people looking for the bear and her cubs. We then stopped reporting sightings as the mama bear and her two tiny cubs were so pestered by people stopping and shooting photos of them they left and we have only seen them once after that. Bears, deer, elk and even big cats feel safe here and therefore do visit frequently. They have a right to their privacy and safety too. One such bear that visited us many years ago was so photographed and then given treats that when he would show up and you produced a camera the bear would strike a pose to have their photo taken. Then however he would expect a treat which only leads to his ruin by begging food from humans and expecting or demanding it.

Since it has been a few years it is safe to tell the story about Carol and the black bear. The bear has since moved on.  Carol took our past dog Gypsy for a short walk around the front of the house. The road that runs in front of our house has a steep bank that drops off abruptly. Bozwell and myself were on the front deck and Carol and Gypsy were directly in front of the house. Bozwell started to bark which in itself is a very rare occurrence since he rarely barks unless there is an intruder or danger. Carol looked up at us on the deck and asked why he was barking.  I informed her he was probably barking at the bear.  WHAT BEAR?  The one just over the edge of the road next to you was my reply.  She turned to see the bear about 8' away. Neither she nor Gypsy saw the bear and the bear had not seen her and Gypsy. I went to get a grip on Bozwell's collar and when I turned back there was Carol and Gypsy already on the deck. I believe that Carol and Gypsy set a new land speed record covering 60 yards in the blink of an eye.

Usually we don't get that close to bears but this one was hidden by the lip of the drop off until Bozwell saw it and issued a warning. The bear and Carol and Gypsy were right together and didn't realize it. Actually I didn't know a human could be that fast bringing a very old dog with her. What was another surprise is that Gypsy who hated bears and could usually smell them long before they were seen didn't notice the bear. Gypsy once ran across the bottom of the roof and jumped off the roof edge about 7' high and landed with all four paws in the middle of a bear's back.  Completely took the bear by surprise and it went up the nearest tree with Gypsy nipping at its heels all the way. I was finally able to get Gypsy back in the house but that bear did not intend to come down until it was safe and she was gone. Just ambling along minding its own business and suddenly a crazy dog falls from the sky and lands right in the middle of its back. What is the world coming to anyway? I miss Gypsy but she had a a good 15 1/2 years of pampered life.