{"id":437,"date":"2026-05-20T21:07:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=437"},"modified":"2026-05-20T21:07:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:07:53","slug":"what-to-do-if-you-come-across-a-bear-with-your-dog-how-to-stay-safe-in-nc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=437","title":{"rendered":"What to do if you come across a bear with your dog? How to stay safe in NC"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s black bear population has made a comeback, and people are more likely to come across the bears than in years prior. You may know how to keep yourself safe while camping and hiking, but what if your dog is with you?<\/p>\n

Read more After primary purges, could Trump have more Thom Tillises on his hands? | Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

On Thursday, May 14, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission announced that the black bears are on the move throughout Central North Carolina. The group recommends using Bearwise, an organization created by biologists<\/a> across the country to universalize the advice people are given about coexisting with bears. The following advice is about black bears (grizzlies are a different story).<\/p>\n

Bears can be drawn out of their documented range in search of food, or mates. The black bear is found in 60% of North Carolina, but can be found in places you might not expect, including a driveway in Durham.<\/a><\/p>\n

Dogs were involved in more than half of reported incidents involving people and bears between 2010 and 2015, according to Bearwise.<\/a> Just under half of those dogs were injured or killed, and over 60% of human companions were injured.<\/p>\n

Jenna Malzahn, a black bear biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said it may be hard to predict what happens when bears and dogs engage, because the setting, personality and size of the animals varies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of variables that go into it, but generally dogs and bears just don\u2019t get along,\u201d Malzahn said. \u201cYou kind of need to be aware of that when you\u2019re moving about with your dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malzahn said that one of the most important things is to keep your dog on a 6-foot, non-retractable leash. Unleashed dogs made up a higher percentage of those injured or killed, according to Bearwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cBears and dogs do not get along whatsoever, and so leashes can really save lives,\u201d Malzahn said. \u201cI will say a lot of the kind of human bear contact incidences we get are because there was a dog present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a barking dog may deter a bear. Black bears generally avoid conflict. But if they don\u2019t have an escape, or feel that cubs or a food source are being threatened, all bets are off.<\/p>\n

Read more Catawba Indians open doors to 1st phase of their $1.25 billion NC casino<\/a><\/p>\n

If you live in an area with a significant bear population, avoid walking your dog at dawn and dusk, and carry bear spray. If you see a bear, leave if possible. If a bear does attack your dog, resist the urge to rescue them, and use bear spray instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that that\u2019s a hard thing to think about, but you don\u2019t want to put yourself in close proximity with the bear, and then have yourself get injured,\u201d Mazahn said.<\/p>\n

Yes. Malzahn said that the return of the bears is a great conservation success. The bears were extirpated, or intentionally eliminated from an area, decades ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the 1970s we were down into like 1,000 black bears in different pockets along the coast and the Pocosin forests, and then in the mountains as well,\u201d Malzahn said. \u201cTo be able to get back up to the population we have now is amazing, where we have bears all throughout the mountains, all throughout the coast, and now we\u2019re seeing some expansion of our breeding population into the Piedmont region as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission keeps a range map of where bears are<\/a> not only seen, but are actively living and breeding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is based on evidence of breeding females,\u201d Malzahn said. \u201cYou can have bears in every county in the state, you can find a bear in any part of the state. That doesn\u2019t mean bears are living in every county of the state, they could be moving through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Read more Panthers announce changes to their coaching staff, including three new assistants<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Carolina black bears are increasing. Learn leash, timing and bear spray tips to protect yourself and your dog during encounters and reduce injury risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to do if you come across a bear with your dog? 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