Bailey Jacobson, of Maple Grove, Minn., was leaving her house with her dog Zeus when she came face-to-face with a group of unexpected visitors. Suddenly, a black bear began to chase her dog, and fearing for her dog's life, Bailey ran after them. A home security camera captured the hair-raising moment when Zeus encountered the mama bear, who was digging through a garbage can with her three cubs at her side. The cubs fled as the German Shepherd drew near, with Jacobson trailing behind. As Bailey followed her dog and the bears down the driveway and they disappeared into the woods, she was struck with the realization of the danger she was in. She turned and high-tailed it home without Zeus. She waited on her screened-in porch as the minutes ticked by, but was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Zeus appeared from the woods unharmed. It’s not uncommon for Maple Grove’s 70,000 residents to occasionally encounter wildlife. So frequent are bear encounters that the Minnesota Department of Natural Wildlife has deemed the state “bear country.” Wildlife officials caution doing what Bailey did, which she freely admits was a knee-jerk reaction to seeing her dog in danger. Officials say you should wait to see if the bear leaves on its own. If it doesn’t, break out the pots and pans and began banging them to create a loud noise; slam the door or throw something, but don’t approach the bear, especially a mother with cubs.
