Our Bear Dogs!
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| Bullet |
Bullet (male) Born January 31st, 2004:
Bullet got his name because he was born with a bullet's speed, and
also because his father's name is "Wind River Blazing Gun."
Bullet is very people-oriented and has a sweet personality. He is
bold and an excellent barker.
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| Luna |
Luna (female) Born January 31st, 2004:
Her handler chose this name from the Goddess of the Moon, because
she will be working on the Asiatic Black Bear, also known as the "Moon
Bear." Luna loves people and she is the type of dog who seeks
a strong bond with a single owner. She is very cuddly considering
her breed. She has a keen nose making tracking her specialty. |
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What the Bear Dogs Do?
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| A training activity for our dogs to familiarize
themselves with real bears |
Push bears into mountainous areas and block them from coming
into town by barking at them (they bark and stop barking on command).
Chase bears without being leashed when needed.
Protect bear management staff when needed.
Warn staff when bears are around (both radio-collared and
unmarked).
Track bears.
Find bears and bear signs.
Find bear attractants at bear conflict sites.
Educate the public. Go with staff on presentations and
classes to help teach the public and school kids about bears.
When chasing bears into mountainous areas, there are times when we
are forced to follow them into the bush. Up until now this has been
impossible due to the dangers, especially at night. However with dogs,
we are able to go on as the dogs warn us if the bears get too close
and are capable of dealing with them should they turn on us. Even
if we lose track of the bears, the dogs can quickly locate them again.
At conflict sites, the dogs can find bear attractants right away.
When we talk to the public about bears, the dogs always make it easier
for us.
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About Bear Dogs, the History
The idea of using dogs for the conservation of bears started in the
1990's in the United States. A bear biologist and bear conflict specialist
Carrie Hunt looked for and found the perfect breed for her new non-lethal
bear management method, a breed that was also safe to be around humans.
She started the Wind River Bear
Institute in 1995 and since then, she has been breeding and training
dogs for her work. NPO picchio became interested in this new bear
management method and have been working on introducing this technique
to Japan. |
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About the Karelian Bear Dog, the Breed
The breed we use for our bear dogs, known as the "Karelian Bear
Dog," originated in an area between Finland and Russia called
Karelia. Karelian dogs have been bred for over 100 years to hunt bears
and other large animals, they also know how to safely work brown bears
on the ground. This is one of the reasons why Ms. Hunt chose this
breed for bear dogs. However, not all Karelians can be bear dogs.
Only those who have an aptitude for this work can be selected and
trained for it. Karelians are very intelligent and take to people
well , but they are very independent dogs and try to leave their owners
if they get a chance. They are also extremely sensitive and if mistreated,
will never forget it. For this reason, it takes tremendous time and
effort to train them. They are highly energetic dogs that require
plenty of exercise everyday, are aggressive towards other dogs, and
bark a lot. Karelians do not make good family pets.
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-About the breed, see also WRBI website:
http://www.beardogs.org/kbds/breed.html
-Considering owning one? See also WRBI website:
http://www.beardogs.org/kbds/owning.html
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