Quick Take
- Josh Martinez's instinct to stand his ground worked, though wildlife officials say one small mistake could have made it backfire. See how Josh reacted →
- Dogs are involved in more serious black bear encounters than most pet owners realize, though the reason has nothing to do with the bear's aggression. Learn the dog danger →
- Making yourself look big is only safe under one specific condition. Do you know what it is? See the wildlife guidance →
- The bear didn't enter the yard looking for a fight, and what it was actually after could make your backyard a target too. See what drew the bear →
Seeing a black bear in your backyard is startling enough. Seeing one sprinting after your dog is another matter entirely. In this viral clip from Florida, a family’s Goldendoodle races across the yard with a black bear close behind. Seconds later, the dog’s owner steps outside, raises his arms, and begins shouting until the bear turns and retreats. The dog escaped unharmed, but the encounter is also a good example of why wildlife officials take interactions between bears and dogs seriously.
Watch the Close Call Below!
A Black Bear Chases a Dog Through a Florida Yard
The footage was recorded at a home in the Florida Panhandle near Destin in August 2022. Local news reports described a black bear entering the property and chasing the family’s Goldendoodle while a security camera captured the encounter. The dog’s name was reported as Salomon, and the owner seen confronting the bear was identified as Josh Martinez.
At the beginning of the clip, Salomon races through the yard as the bear follows behind him. A woman outside the home notices what is happening and calls for help. Martinez then comes outside and positions himself between the bear and the house, raising his arms and yelling. The bear quickly changes direction and runs away. No people were injured, and the dog made it safely back to the family.
Was Scaring the Bear Away the Right Move?
Parts of Martinez’s response resemble techniques wildlife officials use to discourage black bears from lingering around homes, but there is an important safety distinction. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises people to make loud noises from a safe location when a bear is in a yard, provided the animal has an obvious escape route. FWC also recommends standing your ground at a safe distance, raising your arms to appear larger, and using loud noises such as yelling, whistles, or horns when hazing a bear.
That does not mean people should walk toward a bear and challenge it. If an encounter is already close, FWC advises against running or making sudden movements. Instead, back away slowly toward a house, vehicle, or other secure location while allowing the bear room to leave. In this case, shouting worked and the bear retreated, but the safest response depends heavily on distance, the bear’s behavior, and whether you already have a secure place to retreat.
Why Do Bears and Dogs Clash?
Black bears generally prefer to avoid people and conflict, but dogs can make an otherwise uneventful bear encounter much more complicated. A dog may bark at, chase, lunge toward, or corner a bear. From the bear’s perspective, that dog can look like a threat, especially if the bear is protecting food or cubs. The bear may then defend itself rather than simply walking away.
BearWise warns that off-leash dogs are a recurring factor in dangerous black bear encounters. One particularly risky pattern occurs when a dog chases a bear, realizes it has picked a fight it cannot win, and then runs back toward its owner with the bear following behind. At that point, the person and dog can both end up in the middle of a defensive encounter. That may be part of why scenes like the one in this video can escalate so quickly, although there is no way to know exactly what happened before the recording began.
Bears are powerful animals, and encounters with dogs can become dangerous when a bear feels threatened or cornered.
©outdoorsman/Shutterstock.com
How to Keep Dogs Safe Around Black Bears
The easiest dangerous bear encounter to manage is the one that never happens. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends checking the yard before letting pets outside, especially where bears are known to be active. Making noise and turning on outdoor lights can give wildlife a chance to leave before a dog runs outside and surprises it.
BearWise also recommends keeping dogs on a short, non-retractable leash in bear country and never allowing them to chase or harass a bear. Pet food should be stored indoors or inside another secure structure, and food bowls should not be left outside overnight. Garbage, birdseed, and other food attractants should also be secured because a bear that repeatedly finds an easy meal around a home has a reason to keep coming back.
If a bear does appear, bring pets inside if you can do so safely and give the animal room to leave. Black bears are capable of seriously injuring even large dogs, but most would rather avoid the confrontation altogether. The safest outcome for the dog, the people, and the bear is usually the same one seen at the end of this video: everybody goes in a different direction.
