Close Encounter of the Bear Kind

Bear in Laclede County, MO  Photo: Danny Smith

The dog daddy made a quick run to town a couple of days ago and came home with a whopper of a story.  He saw a bear up close and personal.  Seriously.

About a mile and half from our home there's a huge dip, then rise in the road.  From a distance, Gary was what he thought was an extremely large and hairy dog.  He slowed down, as good dog lovers do.  As he approached the "dog" he couldn't believe his eyes.  The "dog" was a bear.  About 12 foot from the car.

The bear jumped off the road and into some weeds.  Needless to say, Gary didn't attempt to rescue this "dog."  Instead he came home and called the local sheriff's office.  His was the second report of the bear and according to Missouri Conservation Department officials, the bear was probably disoriented and trying to find it's way home.

Since then, the bear has been sited in the nearest town.  So far no one has harmed it and it has harmed no one either.

It's been identified as a black bear, though it's actually more brown in color, and is probably a cub.  We can't help but wonder if some local yah-hoo had a pet bear cub that got lose.  (People do that sort of thing here)