Dogs and bears are facing off in Southern California

It’s spring in Los Angeles, and bear sightings have begun.

Typically, videos and reports of bears frolicking in pools or lumbering through backyards begin to surface in mid-March, and gather steam through the beginning of May, said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan. This year, however, heavy rains have hampered the treks of the black bears who reside in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Around Halloween, bears will find a warm place to settle for a few months. It’s not cold enough in Los Angeles to hibernate, but the animals practice something called “denning,” in which they take long naps and surface every few weeks to amble about and eat, Hughan said.

It’s also during this time that mothers give birth to their cubs and toss their 2-year-olds out to find their own homes. Those teen bears are the ones mostly seen in the springtime in residential neighborhoods, Hughan said.

“They are dispersing and trying to find their own places … to hang out and live for the rest of their lives,” he said. “There’s not a lot of places to go that don’t have houses or the 210 Freeway.”

Bears versus dogs

Black bears also are pretty easily scared away by noise, such as the loud barking of dogs.

That’s exactly what happened in Bradbury on Tuesday, when a bear took a dip in the pool then wandered into the backyard, where a small dog chased it away.

(That’s not actually a photo above of a bear in California; it appears to be taken from photographer Joel Sartore’s Instagram, and is a photo of a Syrian brown bear at the Budapest Zoo.)

It’s not surprising that a dog scared off a bear, Hughan said, adding that “black bears are practically afraid of their own shadow.” The 2-year-olds roaming through neighborhoods weigh 150 to 200 pounds, while a large adult bear can reach 300 pounds, he said.

No one in California has ever been killed by a black bear, Hughan said. Still, bears are dangerous and have sharp claws and teeth, and they will attack threatened.

In La Verne, a bear attacked and killed a dog in the 5400 block of Edgewood Drive on Wednesday, prompting police to remind residents of best practices when it comes to the large animals.

Police responded to a suspicious noise report at the house around 3:30 a.m. and found a large 12-year-old collie on the garage floor, according to a La Verne Police Department news release. Animal hospital staff found the injuries “to be consistent with a bear attack” and were unable to save the dog.

Typical teenagers

Bears, it turns out, are pretty cliché Californians: They want to nap through the rainy season and love avocados, Hughan said.

A common misconception is that bears come near houses because they want food, Hughan said. There’s plenty of food where they live, especially because of the rains. They’re really just exploring and “[getting] themselves in trouble like teenagers do.”

Bears do have a sense of smell that’s much better than a human’s, though, and our trash is their feast, he said. So a dirty barbecue grill, a bin full of garbage or ripe fruit hanging off a tree — especially fatty avocados — will draw them in.