Meet Bear: A 3-year-old Anatolian shepherd who’s recently developed a reputation in his neighborhood as a giant, lovable menace. And his family had no idea until a neighbor dropped off a five-page booklet documenting all of his crimes with photographic
evidence.
Bear’s mom, Whit Howe, discovered that Bear had been escaping from her two-acre, fenced yard recently, but she had no idea where he was going. All she knew was that, from time to time, Bear would abandon his job protecting their ducks and chickens by jumping the fence and returning whenever he felt like it.
Whit and her husband were already planning on reinforcing the fence to prevent Bear from escaping when their neighbor dropped off a full report revealing everything he’d been up to while away. The couple was shocked to learn about his double life.
“[He] apparently thinks he owns the entire neighborhood,” Whit told The Dodo.
The report started with Bear casually walking along the side of a nearby road, noting that he’d sometimes lie down and “show [no] inclination of moving” whenever neighbors drove past. Luckily, everyone was able to safely go around the pup, but his presence on the road felt particularly worrisome.
The next page showed Bear following his neighbor to their local church and happily roaming the parking lot while an event took place. As pleased as Bear seemed to be there, the report explained that it was funny yet embarrassing to see Bear sniff around to do his business in front of everyone.
The report then went on to show security camera images of Bear in his neighbor’s yard at 2 a.m., warding off a curious coyote. While his barking caused quite the commotion in the middle of the night, Whit was ultimately glad to see her dog protecting the neighbor’s yard as he typically would back home.
“[T]hat’s exactly what he’s supposed to be doing!” Whit said. “Unfortunately, Bear hasn’t quite figured out where his territory ends …”
But the most shocking crime was saved for last, as neighbors showed pictures of Bear investigating their dumpster for snacks. Thankfully, the dumpster was relatively empty, but the images of Bear with his head under the lid threw Whit and her husband for a loop.
“The dumpster diving probably shocked me the most,” Whit said. “I mean, seriously, Bear?!”
The report ended sweetly, noting that the neighbor loved Bear but hoped to see him around less often without supervision. And his parents couldn’t agree more.
“Since receiving the report, we’ve been making a point to let our chickens roam around the property more, which seems to be helping keep him occupied and focused on his actual job!” Whit said. “We’re definitely taking it seriously because we want him safe and on our property, but anyone who owns an Anatolian shepherd knows just how determined these dogs can be!”
Whit and her husband are doing everything they can to reinforce their yard now, though Bear still finds his way out from time to time. And while his parents scramble to get him back home as soon as they realize he’s left, Bear doesn't feel frenzied at all.
“In his mind, he’s not escaping, he’s patrolling. He’s got coyotes to chase off, neighbors to check on and apparently dumpsters to investigate,” Whit said. “He comes home acting like absolutely nothing happened. Not an ounce of guilt. I think he’s very proud of himself, actually. We are not.”
