Karelian bear dogs to be deployed in King County-

Story about the bear dogs. By Katherine Long. Seattle Times Eastside reporter

About The Author

Ralph Maughan

Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.

3 Responses to Washinton State: A bear walks into a 'burb, but state's new bear dogs scare him out again

  1. chuck parker says:

    Classic case of treating the symptoms of a disease–a bear eating garbage, livestock, etc.–rather than the cause–the people who feed bears garbage, livestock, etc.

    I realize the dogs and aversive conditioning have value. But I’d rather see the money spent on education and then enforcement (fines) so there’s no need for the dogs.

  2. Linda Hunter says:

    Wow . . I can’t believe it!! I agree with Chuck Parker for once. That was what I thought when I read the article in the Seattle paper . . that and the fact that the headlines made it seem like a bear had entered the “burbs” that day and the story was on the front page as if it was critical news. When we take care of bears for people when will they ever learn anything accept how to dial the phone?

  3. vickif says:

    Linda, I can only say I was thinking the same darn thing. I agree with Chuck.
    However, if education and fines aren’t working, the dogs could. So if we can’t save bears by making everyone play by the rules, the dogs atleast give the bears a chance.

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‎"At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being, drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government and corporations, “thus far and no further.” If we do not, we shall later feel, instead of pride, the regret of Thoreau, that good but overly-bookish man, who wrote, near the end of his life, “If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour."

~ Edward Abbey

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