Black bear attacks St. Bernard in Alaska village, loses fight
Published Saturday, June 14, 2008
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Stumble It!A black bear that challenged a St. Bernard in the rural Alaska village of Galena on Friday afternoon evidently bit off more than it could chew.
The dog ended up chasing the bear into the woods after what Galena Police Chief John Millan described as “a brief altercation.”
“I think the bear pretty clearly lost,” Millan said by phone. “It was last seen running into the woods.”
The dog, an adult St. Bernard that Millan described as a “monster of a dog” in terms of size, was uninjured in the encounter.
“That’s the friendliest dog in the world but I don’t think he wanted that bear around his family’s house,” the police chief said. “He’s very gentle but evidently very protective of his family.”
The incident occurred just after noon Friday on the east side of the village of 700 residents on the middle Yukon River, Millan said.
The dog’s owner told the police chief that the bear, described as a medium-sized black bear probably about 2 years old, evidently wandered around the side of the house and came face-to-face with the dog, who was attached to a cable run.
The dog chased the bear to the edge of a nearby lake and the two had a brief fight before the bear fled into the woods, Millan reported.
The dog’s owner grabbed a rifle and had the bear in his sights but chose not to fire for fear he might hit his dog, the chief said.
Following the attack, Millan, a state wildlife trooper and a state wildlife biologist searched the surrounding woods and roads for the bear but did not find it.
Millan suspects it’s the same bear that was reported in town last week stalking a cow moose with twin calves.
Though black bears often visit the village dump about five miles out of town, bears are rarely seen around the village, Millan said. The chief said that no known or recorded bear attacks have occurred in or around Galena in the past 30 years.
“It’s unusual to have them wander into town like that,” said Millan, who carries rubber slugs and firecracker shells in a shotgun with him on his rounds to scare off any bears that do come into the village.
The encounter with the St. Bernard will hopefully sour the bear from returning, the chief said.
“I’m hoping maybe he’s realizing the welcome mat isn’t extended for him here in town,” Millan said. “That would be my preference.”
Community Discussion
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Go dogs! And nobody got hurt.
This is the coolest thing I've read all day.
Just another account of dog vs/ bear.
The tales of wolf and domestic animal abound...
The wolf, it has been said, will 1st mount its prey,
and like a praying mantis, turns and strikes.
The scorecard is:
dog-1
bear-1,000,000
Back when the Grizzly twins were in town one hit the garbage cans in the yard. Woke me up 4 am and needless to say I was not very awake. I let the Blue Heeler out and he ran smack into him. Both went tearing into the woods and I thought the dog was a goner. Barking growling and all that stuff. Ten minutes later the dog showed unscathed. Lucky yes but Dog versus Bear is probably much better then Dog versus Wolf.
Pat
So dog 2 bear 1,000,000 if Brian is correct.
Can't we all just get along?
Family dogs will protect their family...good going to the pooch in this case.
You know that dog's gonna be eatin' good for the next week. Mans best friend!
This was a friend of ours. He said that he just didnt want to mess with cleaning that bear anyway, but that the dog did a heck of a job running it off. I think Chief Millan is right...it sounds like the same bear we had at our workplace last week. He has been milling around all over the place, and somehow has avoided getting killed so far. He/she doesnt appear to be overly aggressive, but not scared either. A black bear (other than a dump bear) that doesnt turn inside-out trying to get away from a person is a bear to watch closely. I hope this one gets the heck out of here or finds somewhere to fish, otherwise, Alaskans can kill three a year with no closed season, so this one might end up as stew if he isnt careful.
I just heard that this particular bear is going to end up in a stewpot. I heard he was killed last night, but havent confirmed it. It is probably the best thing if this is true, because he showed no fear of humans, and could have possibly attacked some kid. Kind of a shame, but definately the correct outcome under the circumstances.
There are videos of housecats chasing away blackbears on youtube.
Sounds like someone should call Stephen Colbert for a "Tip of my hat" segment.
thats a gooood dog!
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