Don and Betty McPherson were awoken the night of May 21 at the White Bear Lake Resort to the loud barking of their black lab dog, Abby.
"She made a racket like the hounds of hell," exclaimed Don.
The dog had become aware of a threat outside, a black bear.
Initially the dog woke Don, who went to go see what the fuss was about. Seeing a bear in their front yard, Don rushed to wake Betty.
"I got Betty up because she was skeptical and wouldn't have believed me," Don laughed.
"No I probably wouldn't have," added Betty.
Betty had always been told to keep a look out for bears in the area, but had never seen one and remained unconvinced of the claims.
"People told me there were bears here my whole life and in 61 years I had never seen one," Betty stated.
So, when Don called her to the front of the house to have a look she was finally convinced.
"He called me to come see and there was the bear walking along the road," Betty explained.
The bear was under a streetlight by this time, making its way, slowly, along the road towards the trees past their neighbours, whose dogs were also barking loudly.
"He wasn't in a hurry, but was just moseying along," Don said.
The bear is described as a black bear with brownish hues. It was approximately a metre tall on all fours and is suspected by the McPherson's to have been foraging through garbage left out after the long weekend.
People are reminded that Saskatchewan does have a healthy bear population according to Conservation Officer Bonnie Greene. Greene works with the Education Unit of Conservation Officers out of Prince Albert and wants to remind people to take precautions regarding black bears.
"It's never a good idea to feed or approach a bear," Greene stated. "Don't leave garbage or pet food... in an area where a bear can get to it. Also, refrain from hanging bird feeders or other animal attractants that will bring bears into an area."
She explained that bears are "ruled by their stomachs" and will leave if there is no food available, however, because they are highly intelligent animals they will return to areas where they have found food previously.
In addition to human safety through reducing animal attractants these precautions actually help the black bear population remain healthy as it reduces the number of animals destroyed or relocated each year.
If encountering a black bear, Greene reminds the public to, "never approach them, make a wide detour or back away slowly, never stare a bear straight in the eyes. Don't try to outrun or even try and run, just back away calmly."
"If you're carrying a bag or backpack drop it because the bear will probably be distracted and stop to sniff the bag."
"Most often black bears will threaten an attack by taking a couple steps or charging then stopping, this is a warning to get out of their space. If someone is attacked the best thing to do is defend yourself, I know there is that old belief to play dead, but don't play dead because it does not work with a black bear."
