I ask that because Kobi despises ravens (in case you’ve forgotten, Kobi is my dog).
Yesterday we were heading out for our scheduled 4:37PM walk (Kobi makes sure I stick to the schedule) and she charged down the yard all barky and bouncy with her hackles up. I thought it was a bear by her reaction, turns out it was a raven. She proceeded to chase it all around the yard and eventually down the driveway, then down the road and then back up the road. That’s why I questioned if perhaps she thinks they’re flying bears. You see, Kobi also despises bears.
Kobi chasing the raven back up the road
The raven tortured her for a good 10 minutes and then she was finally ready to proceed with our scheduled walk. I had wanted to avoid the upper trail as I have been getting that weird creepy feeling when walking there as there is a bear around. I opted for the “safer” trail by the road.
Before we even got to the main road I saw a large black blobby thing – bear. That put a bit of a dent in my walking plans.
The black blob is Mr. Bear
Kobi was oblivious as she was still on the raven-high and she was also eating grass. She’s part bovine I think.
Kobi chomping on grass just like the bear was
I turned around before Kobi saw it and went all crazy and we opted for the “scary” trail up the road.
Later that evening husband let Kobi out for her evening pee and poo. He didn’t see that Mr. Bear was hanging out between the shed and the raspberry patch, but Kobi did and she kicked it into full on action hero. She even scared the bear up a tree. She was making up for her earlier oversight. We got Kobi back into the house and she eventually cooled off.
Sheesh, I hate this time of year. The bears are working hard to fatten up before winter so they seem to come out of the wood-work.
Do ravens torment your dog? Do you even have ravens where you live? Would you like to have bears in your yard?
September 5, 2014 at 4:34 pm
Ohhhh, that’s kinda scary! Wow, I’m glad you two are okay!!! XOXO!!
September 5, 2014 at 7:53 pm
It’s one thing to see bear poop and their foot prints around, but when you actually see them it’s a bit scarier.
September 6, 2014 at 11:22 am
WOW!!! That IS scary!!
September 6, 2014 at 1:30 pm
It is! Haven’t seen one since though so fingers crossed!
September 6, 2014 at 1:55 pm
That’s good!! My fingers are crossed (and my toes)!! 🙂 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 4:49 pm
WOW. definitely would NOT like bears in my yard. Kobi scared it up a tree, she is amazing!! Glad you all are ok after your close encounters.
I’ve never had problems with ravens, but mockingbirds have chased zeke several times away from their nests, now when he hears their warning call he tucks his tail and runs *rolling eyes* I bet he’d be a wuss around a bear, anything in the cat family though he’s going for!
September 5, 2014 at 7:55 pm
It’s hard to remember that you need to look outside before you let the dog out or go outside yourself. That’s kind of funny that Zeke is scared of mockingbirds. They must have scared him when he was feeling vulnerable – lol.
September 5, 2014 at 5:06 pm
Good thing Kobi is such a good guard dog! No ravens around here, but when I lived in the interior we had lots and they were MASSIVE because they ate a lot of garbage. I had bears in my back yard then but because I was aware of them I felt more safe. I think if I ran into a bear in the city now I would freak out!!
September 5, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Ravens are massive aren’t they? And way too smart. Crows look like such small birds compared to a raven. I think I’d totally freak if I ran into a bear in a city, not at all what you’d expect to see.
September 6, 2014 at 9:49 pm
Here’s a slightly terrifying article about crows and ravens: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/science/26crow.html?_r=0 Every spring when crows’ fledglings are flying around the nest they get really defensive…I got dive-bombed by three during a run!
September 7, 2014 at 1:38 pm
That’s quite an interesting article. I’ve heard you can’t trap the same raven or crow the same way twice too. Kind of cool. They must recognize Kobi as one was totally trying to get her attention today and when she chased it it would fly just far enough to keep her interested and then they’d do it again.I think they are actually playing with her.
September 5, 2014 at 5:19 pm
No ravens torment my dog but those from Baltimore torment my mind. And if you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, that’s a good thing! 🙂
September 5, 2014 at 7:57 pm
Ha Ha! They do have a cool name though!
September 5, 2014 at 6:25 pm
Would love a bear in my yard, just to see the reaction from folks here in Santa Clara. It would be a bit odd to say the least (and would make every news program in the region). LOL
September 5, 2014 at 7:58 pm
That would make the news. We’d likely even hear about it up here!! Poor bear, it would likely be a little freaked out from all the attention too.
September 5, 2014 at 8:30 pm
It would take a seriously long hike for that bear to get from California’s bear country to here. LOL
September 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm
Bears are out like crazy here too!! We have one poor guy who has the mange right now… I feel bad for him but I’m also especially scared of him because he’s obviously not feeling well/acting right.
Usually my dogs are too busy eating grass or rolling in poo to notice what’s going on around them, though. I’m lucky in that sense! Stay safe out there!
September 6, 2014 at 7:22 am
Sick bears make for the most unpredictable bears. Scary, be careful! I like how dogs can be so oblivious to things some times, although once they pick up a scent they can get pretty focussed.
September 6, 2014 at 3:34 am
I would not like to have bears in my yard! Ravens are pretty big, but hopefully not add large as bears.
September 6, 2014 at 7:24 am
It is scary to have bears in your yard and I have figured out that I do need to look around before I go charging out the door, always forget that part. I like ravens, but they tease Kobi like crazy and quite enjoy it.
April 8, 2015 at 9:04 am
Thought I would drop by and read some earlier posts Angie and found this title very intriguing.
It is very interesting that we have never had bears here in Central Ontario while I was growing up, but in the last 15 years they have moved down from the north.
Fortunately people have gotten educated about leaving even things like bird feeders out when bears are not in hibernation, so they have not become nuisance. I have come across a bear twice three years apart in my home area…..in the woods both time on my bicycle. One was a much closer call, but both times (whether it was the same bear or not, I am not sure) the bear went in the right direction……the other way! 🙂
April 8, 2015 at 9:19 am
Thanks for checking out some older posts.
I like the bears that head in the opposite direction when we see each other. Bears are a big part of life up here and likely why I really enjoy winter. I haven’t had a bad experience, just a few scary run-ins. Most issues arise when people are stupid and leave their garbage out or other attractants. I suspect I’ll be seeing bears very soon as its warming up!
April 8, 2015 at 10:04 am
Yes they will be coming out soon. Please do be careful!
April 8, 2015 at 10:06 am
I will! Kobi is my early alert system too.