Coco the bulldog barked continuously for days but the couple ignored her.
The bear had wriggled its way underneath the couples Vancouver Island house. Unknown to the couple, but totally known to Coco, the bear was snoozing in the warmth underneath their deck.
Crystal Weaver told Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that their female bulldog Coco was barking like crazy. But she and her husband thought that Coco was just being silly Coco. So they ignored the barking and wild behavior. Little did they know of the danger that was lurking close by.
Island of Bears
The couple live on Vancouver Island in British Canada in a small town called Duncan. It is a remote place with just over 5000 people living there. It is also home to 7000 black bears. Not all of them are actually black in color, as some are a golden white. This is because there are several subspecies living there which is very unusual.
Black bears on Vancouver Island eat meat, shellfish like mussels, berries, nuts and plants. They also like human food. They are attracted to garbage bins and smells that come from houses.
In the winter months when they need to hibernate, they need to find a den to nap in. If there aren’t enough tree hollows, or ground dens, then the bears will look for a den wherever they can find one. This includes dens that might be in a building or unusual places like an abandoned vehicle.
Creepy Noises
Because there were some creepy noises at unusual times, Crystal Weaver’s husband decided to go and look underneath the house. What he came across scared him: a black bear was sleeping under the deck. It had made itself at home and was semi-hibernating in the cold January weather. The bear didn’t care that it had been caught. It curled up and went back to sleep.
Crystal Weaver shared a TikTok video of the black bear living under her deck. The video went viral with over 360,000 likes.
The couple called the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. They sent conservation officers to scare away the bear. Loud noises made the bear leave in a hurry.
The couple put down some cayenne pepper, and fencing, to deter the bear. But it came back early in the morning on another day and had to be scared away again. But after more loud noise, and some fencing reinforcement, the bear didn’t return.
Bears have a devastatingly strong bite. They are apex creatures and need to clamp down hard in an environment as tough as Vancouver Island. A bulldog like Coco would not stand much of a chance if she fought a black bear.
An American Bulldog has a bite force around 305 pounds per square inch (PSI); and a black bear can chomp down three times as hard at over 1,200 PSI. One or two bites on Coco, and whe would have to run away or get eaten.
As reported to CTV News, Crystal Weaver said:
“I know how dangerous bears can be, and I also know how dangerous it can be for the bear to get super comfortable with us. The last thing I want to be responsible for is that bear thinking people aren’t a threat and then it becomes a problem bear and ends up getting shot.”
“Don’t feed bears. Don’t let them get comfortable around you. They need to be afraid of us,” she added.
