Guarding the House

July 18, 2002

I was quietly reading at home one sunny evening. Goldie the dog slept peacefully outside the front door. All of a sudden he barked frantically, scrambled to his feet and raced down the steps.

I got to the door as quickly as possible and followed him halfway down the steps. There he was, sparring with a black bear right in front of our garbage cans. The bear swatted at him as Goldie darted in and out. I SCREAMED for him to come, but he takes guard duty seriously. The bear finally turned and fled, with Goldie in hot pursuit.

Daddy Dennis was proud of him for standing his ground. I was relieved when he came home unharmed.

Bear outside the kitchen window The photo to the left was taken by neighbors who were quietly enjoying breakfast when they heard a knock on the window. They looked up to see a black bear reaching for their bird feeder! Oddly, they were eating porridge that morning....

Years later, at that same house, our 81-year-old friend was in her open garage straightening garbage cans. She heard something and turned to see a young black bear inside the garage! Without thinking, she shouted, "Shoo!" The startled bear turned on its heels and raced back into the woods.

Her dogs were in the house, lax in their guard duty. They didn't bark until the danger had passed.