Bear crossing

[Ravenbird]

A few months shy of 10 years living here I finally saw a bear! Asha was dinking around behind me and didn't see it in front of us, but the bear saw us and dived off the road, down a hill and disappeared. The instant I saw the bear my first thought was Leash.the.dog., then I got my phone out to record video in case I saw it again. No such luck. Asha definitely smelled it, and went on high alert with a few hackles up, head darting around, but what's so interesting to me is how as soon as we went past the bears path you can see Asha looking behind us a few times and then she walks quietly, looses the hackles and is back to normal mode.

 

[JanS]

Good girl! I'm pretty sure most dogs hate bears and so did our horses so they go on high alert when there's one in the area. I'm by no means scared of them but this time of year I give them a wide berth when many have cubs.

 

[Katyusharocket]

Good girl Asha! I don't really know what a bear would weigh but if i had to guess, my guess would be 3 or 5 times the size of a large doberman, yet Asha isn't backing down! Great doberman traits!

 

[MichiH]

Wow good job Asha!

 

[Ddski5]

That’s fun to watch.
She smells something…just can’t seem to find it.

 

[MyBuddy]

The instant I saw the bear my first thought was Leash.the.dog

OMG, yes! Seeing a bear knowing that my dog was Unleashed would have given me a heart attack! Lol terrifying!

 

[Ravenbird]

That’s fun to watch.
She smells something…just can’t seem to find it.

We had a wind blowing toward us carrying the bears scent, what was left of it, and as soon we walked past where the bear crossed the road all the scent was basically behind us and she totally lost interest. And she never looked for it to her right, but kept looking down the hill to the left where I saw it go.

I'm by no means scared of them but this time of year I give them a wide berth when many have cubs.

Same. Nothing more fierce than a momma bear. I kept the camera pointed to where the bear went but kept looking up hill to the right to see if any cubs were following. I learned from some back-country folks the #1 rule is never ever get between momma & cubs.

Seeing a bear knowing that my dog was Unleashed would have given me a heart attack!

I have a 4 foot, thick leather leash that I wear cross-body on every hike, plus the e-collar you can see is on. I also wear a whistle around my neck which not only is great for dog recall, but is a good way to scare off a bear or the javelinas. It's loud, sharp noise and something that's a foreign sound, so supposed to be helpful that way.

 

[MyBuddy]

I also wear a whistle around my neck which not only is great for dog recall, but is a good way to scare off a bear or the javelinas. It's loud, sharp noise and something that's a foreign sound, so supposed to be helpful that way.

That's a good idea. I bought a whistle years ago and the funny thing is I never taught Buddy or Annie to come when they hear it but for some reason they always do!

 

[JanS]

I also wear a whistle around my neck which not only is great for dog recall,

Yes, we bought one for that reason too. Albert got lost in the woods once and our voices just weren't loud enough but a whistle carries a lot farther. He was scared and never so happy to see us when he heard the whistle.

 

[Ravenbird]

I bought a whistle years ago and the funny thing is I never taught Buddy or Annie to come when they hear it but for some reason they always do!

Same. I just started using it and she comes flying faster than any other call or my normal whisltle!

 

[Two Dobes]

I LOVE the idea of a whistle! More for strange dogs, or bears....great great idea. I carry the can with air that makes an ear piercing sound; but discovered on our walk one day, that the giant serious corso mix that came out of the brush, was not fearful of it at all, and continued to approach my two. It finally turned away when these two would not stop the snarly barking...they were leashed at the time, so that amped them up more. I think a whistle would work better.

 

[MichiH]

I LOVE the idea of a whistle! More for strange dogs, or bears....great great idea. I carry the can with air that makes an ear piercing sound; but discovered on our walk one day, that the giant serious corso mix that came out of the brush, was not fearful of it at all, and continued to approach my two. It finally turned away when these two would not stop the snarly barking...they were leashed at the time, so that amped them up more. I think a whistle would work better.

Good point with any animal that you want away. Like rabid raccoons lol lesson learned that I must always carry something now. I would have a stroke if I saw a bear. I didn’t realize you had them in NM.

Impressed by Asha love this video.

Btw @Ravenbird she is stunning

 

[Ravenbird]

I would have a stroke if I saw a bear. I didn’t realize you had them in NM.

99% of the time they run like hell if they see a person. Only time to be really on tilt about it is if it's a momma with a cub or two. Game over, do not threaten or move toward them. Momma bears can be insane protecting a cub. Seriously, I saw it for like 2 seconds in the middle of the road, it saw us, wheeled the other way and vanished.