Hick was looking at the Facebook page of our enclave on Saturday evening.
"That woman who lives down behind us? Over the creek? The bear got into her shed last night. Tore up three bags of feed for her goats. And was on the hood of her car. He left footprints."
"She's lucky he didn't eat a goat! Did he eat all the feed?"
"I don't know. Some of it, anyway."
"I hope he doesn't get into our garage! Since you keep the dogfood in there. Even though it's in the plastic trash can with a lid. And not in a bag."
"He could."
"I bet that's why the dogs bark their fool heads off every night. Maybe they'll keep him away. But he could have been the one to take their food bowls out into the front yard. He wouldn't have to come up on the porch. Just stand up and grab one in his mouth. Then if the dogs were annoying him, he'd go to the front yard. Did that woman have a dog?"
"I don't know."
"Surely dogs would run it off. To someone else's house where there are no dogs. You can bet our two and Copper Jack all join in together. I hope they're not so stupid to attack it. More likely just warn him off to protect the homestead!"
"You never know."
"I don't think a bear would eat a dog. Unless it was chained up and couldn't get away. Can't the Conservation Department trap it, and let it go somewhere like the Mark Twain National Forest? Where there's not any houses?"
"I guess they COULD. But the question is if they WOULD."
"Well. Somebody's going to shoot it if it keeps getting into stuff, or kills their pets."
"They might."
"Or somebody might get killed."
"A black bear won't kill a person."
"Would YOU stand out there and try to run one off???"
"Probably not."
I suppose now I won't be annoyed with the dogs barking their fool heads off all night. I'll think of it as protection from an ursine invader. But now I'll worry about the invader.
On the other hand, if someone kills it, you could score yourself a bearskin rug. But without the head because those are just creepy. Does the dogfood shed have a bear proof lock?
ReplyDeleteNo bearskin rug for me! My grandma had a mountain goat rug, from one hunted by my uncle who lived in Alaska. It was white and long-haired and soft, with a brown felt backing, and no head! I would stroke it as I laid on the carpet watching TV.
DeleteThe dogfood is in the garage, which has only a metal people-door with a doorknob, and two metal doors for cars that raise and lower with a battery-operated opener. Hick pours the dogfood into a big plastic trash can with a lid, and dips out of it to fill the dog bowls each morning around 6:00. He throws away the bag. Doesn't leave food in the bag, since that could attract mice and squirrels into the garage through the soffits.
The dogs usually eat all their food, now that I stopped Hick from over-feeding them like he did before Scarlett arrived. So there is rarely any left in the bowls when I start to town.
When I lived alone, the dog was my security alarm. So, I never was angry she barked. Bears can and do break into doors and windows unless they are hardened. It is scaring me just thinking about that. I had a terrible nightmare last night. I hope this does not cause another nightmare. I am very suggestible when it comes to dreams about danger.
ReplyDeleteHopefully there is no bear in your neighborhood, so you can worry about something else! I never thought I'd be worrying about a bear. A garage can be fixed, but I wouldn't want my dogs (or even the neighbor dog Copper Jack) to be hurt by the bear. At least with the three of them running in a pack, they have a better chance than a single dog.
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