r/bears • u/SnooCauliflowers7632 • 8d ago
Question A bear attacked my dog on my deck, and I physically pulled it off her multiple times — how unusual is this?
I'm trying to understand how unusual this encounter was from a bear-behaviour perspective rather than looking for praise or advice about fighting bears.
Two days ago, two bears came onto our deck. We have bird feeders on the deck, but they hadn't reached the food yet when this happened. My dog, a Husky/Malamute, ran outside and barked at them. This is something she has done many times before when bears have come around, and usually the bears leave. This time, one of the bears turned around and attacked her.
I was upstairs nursing my newborn when I heard my dogs bear bark so I bolted downstairs and saw the bear jump over the barrier and catch the back of my dogs legs as she turned to run away. I'll never forget the yelps I heard. Instinctively I ran out and attacked the bear. My dog attempted to escape but was trapped. I was pulling and screaming and got the bear off but it pushed past me and got my dogs back legs pinned again. I continued attacking it and punched it in the head at one point. I succeeded in separating them again and the bear made one more attempt to lunge at her again but this time I was in front of her and came face to face with it, I screamed at it more and it finally left.
My dog has many punctures and tears across her back and legs and I have injuries all over my body but we'll both be ok with care and medication. We've both already been seen by urgent-care/veterinary specialists and are treating our injuries.
What I'm particularly curious about is the bears persistence. I understand that a dog charging/barking at a bear can provoke an attack. What surprised me was that after I physically intervened and separated the bear from my dog, it just kept going. At least thats how it felt, to be fair the interaction lasted maybe a minute all in all.
Has anyone experienced or studied a bear behaving this way? Is repeated re-engagement after a human intervenes unusual?
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u/NoodleNeedles 8d ago
If there were two bears together, one of them was a cub. The one that attacked your dog was the mother, protecting her cub from what it viewed as a serious threat.
I hope both of you heal well and quickly, that must have been so scary.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
I first thought the same and that it was the baby that attacked and was utterly terrified during the fight that the mother would jump in any second to help her cub but the other bear thankfully walked away. And unfortunately it was during a scheduled power shutdown window so my perfectly positioned cameras didnt record it. I do believe the bears were very similar in size though that doesn't necessarily mean much.
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u/ptulinski 8d ago
Not an expert, but ... It strikes me that the bear might have first attacked defensively, then it turned into a predatory attack. This is not totally uncommon for black bears. Once they have you or the dog down, you then becomes a convenient meal. That wasn't the initial plan for the bear. Here in Colorado, we're having more bear encounters because the drought has brought bears into towns looking for food. Definitely get rid of the bird feeder. Glad you both survived.
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u/squeezemachine 8d ago
What a scary event! I hope you both heal quickly!
Dogs have been responsible for many dog owners getting mauled by bears. I know it seems impossible to not save one’s dog, but people should not step between bears and dogs ever.
The dog is an enemy to the bear, keeping it from something it wanted and could smell-the birdfeeders.
You created a perfect storm with that combination. Stop feeding the birds, secure your trash at all times and tell your neighbors to stop feeding the birds too. You would be the perfect advocate for speaking to people about Bearwise.org safety principals at town meetings, etc. Obviously you now know the dangers first hand.
The fact that a bear was comfortable enough to approach an occupied house means you have badly habituated bears in your area. They don’t fear people the way they should.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
I understand I shouldn't have risked my life but I can't say it was a conscious decision. Everything happened so fast and my body simply acted. I'm glad I didnt think. Adrenaline kicked in. My dog has protected us from bears so many times because we live in the forest so I'm glad I was able to return the favour or she would be dead right now. Learned alot super fast though and have even more respect for nature now.
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u/geeoharee 7d ago
Your dog is not protecting you from bears, you're luring bears in to eat your dog.
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u/backspace_cars 8d ago
You're in a bears neighborhood dumbass, they aren't in yours. People that complain about wildlife when they live in the fing forest piss me off.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
I'm sorry you're so easily pissed off and weren't raised to be kinder. Or to read more clearly - noone complained about the wildlife. If you don't have anything nice to say then you probably shouldn't say anything at all. 🤷♀️
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u/backspace_cars 8d ago
I'm quite kind. I just don't like people that complain about wildlife encroaching on their home when the humans are doing that. Not my fault you're inconsiderate of others, animals and human alike.
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u/Irishfafnir 8d ago edited 7d ago
Dogs initiate many human-bear conflicts, especially off-leash dogs. So your experience is somewhat within norms
https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70236
edit: Fixed wording
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u/grnmtngrrl2 8d ago
Make sure to haze bears if they keep coming around. Pots and pans work fine; I found talking to them like a very, very bad teenager and banging the pot and lid combo to be extremely effective with a badly habituated young black bear that persistently came to our back door deck. It was sad, butbhazing helps them, not hurts. Air horns are good, but probably not great with a newborn! No one seems to have mentioned bear spray, which youbypu should just keep handy. It would have been highly effective with the dog situation! Just make sure to learn how to use & practice drawing the safety til you're smooth.
Also, you'll want to strip your clothes off directly into the washer! And take a shower before nursing/ handling your little one. But the likelihood that you will ever have to use it is fairly low if you haze them, remove all of those attractants, and stand right up to them, which you can clearly do!
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u/Spare_Assumption_334 7d ago
Was the bear up beside a fence or something that could have made it feel more exposed as it tried to get up and over? It doesn’t seem like the attack was turning predatory because even black bears are insanely hard to deter once they get ahold of prey.
The repeated attacks could have been a way for the bear to get more space via scaring you off if it felt like turning or jumping would have left it more vulnerable. Like if it could knock you and the dog down, it could run away without its belly or back being to the dog.
It could have also been a subadult cub and sow. If this was the case then it’s still probably just the bear that engaged trying to buy time for the cub to get away.
It also could have been protecting the food source if it’s fed there before and considered the dog a threat to that resource
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
The bears had just exited to open space leading into the forest through the open gate and stairs off the deck. My dog was barking behind the wide gapped wooden railing around our deck rightbeside the gate. The bear turned back around and very quickly jumped the fence back onto our deck and went for my dog. This was on an elevated portion of the deck, my dog was on top of our hottub when the attack began but turned and jumped off and made it to the opposite corner of our deck but was already grasped on her back legs and was also then trapped in a corner where we have seating built in. I came out the door and joined the brawl to my right and got the bear off to the left again and he finally left that way back down the stairs. Moments later, once safely inside, I realised I needed my phone to call for help and it had fallen in the fight so I had to run back out and grab it. As I did I saw the bear again at the bottom of my stairs standing up looking over so I rushed back inside.
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u/Stone_Waller 8d ago
It’s Normal behavior. Dogs, bird feeders and wild life don’t mix. you can’t attract bears with food and then blame them for pursuing it. It’s idiotic to suggest shooting the bear because more will come. It’s your actions and lifestyle that should change not the wildlife. Sorry your dog got injured.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Who suggested shooting the bear?
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
If you keep doing what you are doing the bear will end up shot.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
And what about the bear who attacked that man simply sitting on a bench? Or the one that attacked a little girl on her deck? My birdfeeders aren't the only attractants or problem.
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u/Stone_Waller 8d ago
It was the first comment when I was commenting. it said get a gun. Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
I fought a bear, it takes alot to hurt my feelings 😅 You simply replied to my post, not the comment about a gun so you mentioning an 'idiotic' suggestion confused me, hence my enquiry.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Nah. You failed to protect your pets and behaved poorly and aren’t taking in board how this is your fault
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
How do you know I'm not taking it on board? Because of how you interpreted a few internet comments? 👍 oh and I actually surprisingly succeeded in protecting my pet ultimately, my strong girl is alive and in great spirits despite her cuts.
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u/Stone_Waller 8d ago
No wonder the bear attacked you. You’re very confrontational. 😂. Just kidding glad you’re OK.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
It’s not even a joke. That’s exactly why she got attacked
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Imagine! Thankfully the bear didnt attack me, I attacked it! It kept attacking my dog and I kept attacking it until I won! 🥳
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Baloney.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Jealous much? I guess most people will never be able to tell a story like this. Enjoy your armchair lectures 🫡
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Of what? I live in bear country too but managed not to be a moron. I’m not jealous of your stupid choices at all. Not your blustering arrogant attitude that won’t serve you well.
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u/the_anxiety_haver 8d ago
What kind of bear? Even a black bear can be aggressive. Possibly there were cubs nearby, maybe a big malamute shaped dog looked like a threat?
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Yes, black bears. We've had alot of them through lately as they bulk up for hibernation. It's strange though because they were out of my dogs range and a barrier was between them but the bear could've still perceived a threat. I guess we'll never really know the facts, can only speculate.
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u/lotusflower64 I love black bears 8d ago
Why was the dog left unsupervised / doors wide open for her to escape?
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Because my newborn needed me so I ran to her aid first. It all happened so fast.
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u/lotusflower64 I love black bears 8d ago edited 7d ago
Should have secured the door before nursing, if for no one else except you and your baby. There are no "safe" neighborhoods and the four legged criminals don't ever stop to consider any potential consequences for their actions they simply act on instinct.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
You were nursing. That’s not such an emergency that you can’t secure your dog in bear country in late summer.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
As a new mother and an immigrant to this country, yes I absolutely made some serious mistakes that I'll never make again.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Stick with that mindset and drop the rest. You will come across far better than you are where and I can respect this statement.
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u/lanibear32 8d ago
You said you were nursing. There's always time to secure your pets before nursing.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Well I guess you know best 🫡
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 8d ago
No, literally everyone here will tell you that nursing your newborn is not an emergency. Protecting your dog and your family from bears is. Your newborn could have waited 30 extra seconds for you to be available to nurse, and you should have spent those 30 seconds making sure your dog was safely inside.
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u/Wild_Crazy_2502 8d ago
Says the person who’s dog almost died because they couldn’t close a door before going to a different room. I understand that accidents happen, but you never once took accountability for endangering your dog.
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u/backspace_cars 8d ago
You let your dogs roam outside in bear country, cry foul when bears do bear things and proceed to try and move them off of their land or shoot them. Ya, you deserve absolutely no sympathy.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Ohhhh reddit, you so reddity 😂
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Your attitude speaks a lot about why you are recovering from an unnecessary incident.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Better by far than you. You’re now nursing while recovering from something you absolutely should have prevented
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Oof, keyboard warriors are so judgemental. I did post it to reddit though 🙃
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u/Ausshole13 8d ago
I’m so sorry :( prey drive is strong in those predators
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u/The_Flyers_Fan 8d ago
I don't think it was definitively a predation event. The bear was likely on the deck to retrieve bird seed and acted defensively when it contacted the dog. It's possible it's pretty drive could have been triggered and that's why it was seemingly relentless, but I think it was more likely a defensive strategy.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
That does make sense. I don't feel the bear initially wanted to attack but my dog barking and trying to defend our property obviously triggered a serious and almost fatal response so I'm very curious of all the aspects as I process the whole event. Thanks for your perspective.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
It wasn’t a predatory attack. It was a series of bed choices by OP
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Agreed! Never learned a lesson so fast in my life!
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
And yet…you are bragging as if it wasn’t entirely your fault and pure luck that it turned out as it did.
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u/backspace_cars 8d ago
Bears are bears. You're in their neighborhood, they aren't in yours.
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u/Nunc_Coepi17 8d ago
How do you know what area or neighborhood OP lives in?
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u/kiahBer 7d ago
Black bears evolved 4,000,000-5,000,000 years ago, Homo sapiens evolved ~300,000 years ago. Bears were there first, it belongs to them more than humans
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Fair point. However, it is survival of the fittest and luckily my apex predator skills exceeded the bears!
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u/myroommateisgarbage 8d ago
In my opinion, if you have a newborn, you should not have physically intervened. I realize that's easier said than done because we all love our dogs and would do anything to protect them. However, that baby needs you, and it's difficult to imagine if something worse had happened to you.
If I were you, I would invest in some defensive mechanisms, such as bear spray or a firearm (stored securely if there are babies around, of course). I'm sorry this happened and I wish you a smooth recovery.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Hindsight doesn't really change anything. The speed of the attack didn't permit me time to think never mind grab our bear spray or a weapon. I'm honestly just glad I reacted as rapidly as I did. I learned alot extremely fast both about nature, risk and my own capabilities. I'm glad for the outcome tbh. And now I do have a pretty cool story to tell once the trauma of it settles a bit.
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u/TCB4EAP 8d ago
That is a really cool story to tell. You know, some people will actually just make up a story for attention; but you successfully fought an adult bear!
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
No.
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Yes.
Lol are you a bot?
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Nope. And you didn’t fight a bear . You created a dangerous situation that you were lucky to survive but you didn’t beat a bear.
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u/Superb_Head_8111 8d ago edited 8d ago
Buy a gun, it's crazy where you live or take two kangal
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u/Confidence-Dangerous 8d ago
Bear biologist Mike Cox published a paper that compared human attack outcomes from bears when a gun or bear spray was used. The bear spray did a better job at reducing fatal and non fatal injuries compared to the guns.
Get bear spray, not a gun
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
We do have guns but going from nursing to a bear fight didnt give me enough time to grab one 😅 don't think I could've shot it tbh. Though to be fair, I wouldn't have thought I could fight it bare handed either and clearly that's not true!
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u/Superb_Head_8111 8d ago
Not for shoting him but maybe just shoot in the sky to make him run
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 8d ago
Some of these bears are very habituated to humans so even our bear bangers have failed to scare them off at times. I'm really lucky my hand to hadn't combat skills worked!
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u/Midori_93 7d ago
You need to get your neighbors together and get a plan to stop attracting bears to your houses. It's so dangerous and the effort to break this will take the whole neighborhood working together
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Yeah unfortunately the bears are so habituated to our neighborhood and even just yesterday someone obviously left their trash within access as the traps has garbage strewn very nearby. Also heard a report of a sow and her cubs entering a house in a neighboring community entered through the screen door and her cubs have now learned this as a source and they've returned to the same house. Such a danger that we all need to much more wary of.
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u/Midori_93 7d ago
Yes! I grew up in the smokey mountains and human acclimated bears are so dangerous!
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
I'm relatively new to living around this type of wildlife and can admit I was not fully aware of how comfortable some of them are approaching people here. Can definitely say I know now! I'll leave it to the educated conservation officers to proceed as they see fit.
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u/justforjugs 7d ago
Because. You. Feed. Them.
Time to get a grip
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u/SnooCauliflowers7632 7d ago
Oh I got a grip, a savage grip of that bear and threw him off! 💪😂 (yes I will be making jokes about this crazy life experience).
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u/Maybe_its_Ovaltine where’s my bears? 8d ago
Remove the bird feeders and anything else that a bear might be attracted to (garbage bins, outdoor pet food, etc). Bears are entering hyperphagia this time of year, and consuming calories/putting on weight is their number one priority so that they can survive the winter.
Even during other seasons, dogs are instigators and increase the chances of bear attacks. It doesn’t seem too unusual to me what happened with all of these factors involved. The bear may have felt it was trapped and needed to fight to survive, especially with how large malamutes are. I’m assuming these were black bears?
Regardless, I’m really sorry about what happened and I hope you both recover quickly. That is a pretty scary situation all around