Bears

May 17, 2016

For the past two weeks since the bears were last sighted here, Zuma has been going on hyper alert and barking at "something" in the woods behind our RV.  I suspect it is just Godzilla.  No big deal.

One evening recently, our neighbors were outside chatting with me and we heard a ruckus in the woods nearby.  Like, crashing through the trees ruckus.  Zuma had been staring down there for a few minutes but she rarely barks. Then the woofing began and it's been an every other day occurrence since.  Sometimes she is laying outside on her bed beside me and suddenly, up goes her head, she pulls her longe line lead taut and lets out a huge WOOF.  For such a girlie-girl, her bark resembles a giant, imposing , ferocious male dog.  It makes my legs tingle and my hair stand up on end.  She is an "alert barker" and since she seldom "goes off" any bark is a cause for concern.

This afternoon I asked Missy at the office about the bears and inquired if they were relocated; she calmy said the mother is part of an "urban suburban" project and the authorities tag her when she is hibernating. She doesn't bother anybody.  Apparently, Momma Bear was here last year and wandered up by the pool one day and freaked out one of the office staff members.  The pool is a mere stone's throw from our place.  The garbage here is secure, everybody is chilled out.  We don't bother them, they don't come close enough to bother us.  I'm still on hyper alert and keeping Zuma on a tight chain.  I explained to her she is bred to be a boar hunter not a bear hunter.  She ignores me and puffs up her jowls and lets out a gentle warning woof.  She is keeping me informed, protecting me.

Other people near us said their dogs were barking and alertedly staring in the same direction as Zuma.  So we're keeping our eyes peeled. And hoping Zuma will stop with that freak-me-out  make my hair stand on end barking.

Momma Bear has her paws fill with her triplets.  She seems to keep to herself after her high wire tree climbing antics.