Abstract 338 – The Canine Conundrum: Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country?

Tom Smith, Stephen Herrero, Hank Hristienko, Lana Ciarniello, Linda Wiggins

In 2023, a tragic incident occurred in Canada's Banff National Park where two people and their
dog died as a result of a grizzly bear attack. This occurrence revived discussions first reported
by Hristienko and Herrero (2014) as to the potential dangers and benefits of bringing one’s
dog(s) into areas inhabited by bears. To address these questions, we analyzed more than 300
human-bear conflicts, between 1901 and 2023, that involved dogs and the three North
American bear species (Ursus americanus, U. arctos, U. maritimus). This database is currently
being finalized but preliminary results suggest that most of the time, the dog triggered the
attack and when this happened the victims were at least slightly injured. Interestingly, we also
recorded multiple attacks where the dog saved the owner, or at the least lessened the severity
of the attack. Contrary to this finding, there appear to be few attacks where the owner actually
saved the dog. Although the status of the dog being leashed or unleashed is unreported in the
majority of encounters, preliminary results suggest that unleashed incidents outnumber those
involving leashed dogs 4:1. This work will help to inform data-driven guidelines on humans and
dogs in bear country.