In the first major incident of its kind this year, a bear attacked and killed a dog Sunday in the 2800 block of Sawmill Creek Road, near the Thimbleberry Creek Trailhead. Steve Bethune, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, went to investigate with Alaska Wildlife Troopers after receiving a call about the incident Monday.
“We found blood and hair in the driveway and did a quick search of the woods, in the immediate vicinity of the house in the direction the bear went, to confirm that the dog had been killed and consumed,” Bethune said.
The attack had occurred about 24 hours earlier but it took a while to figure out what happened because the dog’s owner, Mike Mayo, did not witness the attack. He remembers hearing the dog bark and then yelp but it was a while before he realized the dog was actually missing. Later in the day, the bear that is believed to have attacked the dog ambled across the property. Mayo was able to take a photograph from inside the house. Authorities were not able to locate the bear Monday but intend to keep searching.
“Pets are dear to people everywhere so we have a general policy that we don’t tolerate bears killing pets,” Bethune said.
Mayo’s dog was a 12-year old Jack Russell and Chihuahua mix named Dodo.
“He was a lovable little dog,” Mayo said. “Very personable and loved to be held. Never bit anyone. He liked to be around people.”
Bethune pointed out that it’s dangerous for people as well as pets if bears associate pets with food. He said bear activity has been relatively low in Sitka for the past two years but the two years before that set a record with officials having to kill 21 bears over two seasons. He said the department has received other calls recently from the same vicinity reporting bears active during daylight hours and not showing fear of people.
“So that’s a little bit disconcerting,” he said. “But we haven’t had any reports of bears actually acting aggressively toward people, but we would encourage people, at least in this area, if they see a bear to give us a call.”
Bethune reiterated some basic bear safety tips: keep garbage inside until pickup day, don’t leave food out for pets, bring bird feeders inside during the summer, and be mindful of grills and fish smokers as items that could attract bears. He also noted the upcoming Community Bear Awareness Day scheduled for Saturday June 15th at the Fortress of the Bear. Safety presentations will include bear-proof trash can and campsite demos.
