Anchorage Daily News

A black bear wandering through a Galena yard Friday afternoon decided to square off with a pet dog. This time, the fight wasn't even close, according to Galena police.

"It was a St. Bernard and he tore the bear up," police chief John Millan said. "Wasn't a scratch on the dog either."

The bear was wandering through the yard of an east-side home along Crow Creek Road in the village of nearly 700 along the Yukon River when it turned the corner around the house and came face to face with the dog, which was on a run line, Millan said.

It was on. The dog ran after the bear a short distance to a nearby lake, where the bear turned on it and they began to fight. The homeowner grabbed a rifle and put the bear in his sights but didn't fire because he was afraid of shooting the dog, Millan said.

When the bear broke loose minutes later, it ran into some nearby woods, Millan said.

After the attack, Millan, a wildlife trooper and a wildlife biologist searched the woods but were unable to find the bear, he said.

The animal was an estimated 2 years old and appears to be getting habituated to humans -- potentially a fatal problem for the bear, he said. It may be the same bear that has been stalking moose recently in the village, Millan said.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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