Originally posted by stacwase
The thing is - he doesn't want my dog running off his deer, but he doesn't think twice about endangering my children by encouraging a 450 lb. bear out here. My son goes out to the bus stop at 6:50 every morning. That's prime time for bears to be out.

Plus, Max hasn't even been running deer. I think that the only time Max was ever on that guy's property was when Kamble came over to visit and they both got loose at the same time and went running over there. Max stays in the yard when Kamble's not here.

The guy just saw that I had a dog and decided to threaten us.
The odds of a bear attack are actually very low. A normal healthy bear, even one that is habituated to people rarely attacks, although they are often destructive to property. Black bears are more dangerous than grizzlies. Momma bears are the most dangerous of all, of course. The only bear that will actively hunt humans is a polar bear and I don't think you have those around!

I live out in the boonies too. I figure I moved here, I'm in the wildlife's territory. As long as they aren't hurting my family, I won't hurt them. If that wolf that tried to eat Hobo last winter comes back this year, it's dead. If it leaves my dogs alone, I won't even report to Renewable Resources that I've seen it. Technically, we are supposed to report any sightings of wildlife around here--especially bears and wolves. I refuse to do it as I know the animal will end up dead.

We have a bear that regularly cruises through our property. He's a two year old brown bear. He's been around here since he was a cub--he's a twin actually, but momma and the other cub have moved on. This was his first summer on his own--bears stay with their mother until she has another cub. He's never bothered the dogs. My dogs bark at him when they are behind their fences, but they don't make a peep when they are out and we run into a bear.

I had to make special lids for my dog food freezers to keep them bear proof. Lock up all your garbage, don't compost unless you can do it at a safe distance from your house. Bear proof your property as much as you can. Teach your kids what to do if they do have an encounter with a bear. My husband is a Cree Indian and according to his medicine man he has a bear spirit so he actually attracts bears. I learned fast when we started hiking together what to do when a bear is around!

Do you have an area you could fence so Max can run and still be safe? Your neighbor sounds like he could be dangerous to Max given even the slightest provocation. I hope you can find a way to keep him happy and safe!