Maryland homeowner nearly pets bear he believed was neighbor’s dog

CHEVY CHASE, Md. — A Maryland man thought he would pet a dog that wandered into his backyard. But that was no dog -- it was a black bear, and the resident had a close encounter that left him scrambling to safety.

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The Chevy Chase resident, who requested anonymity, said he heard a noise in his backyard on Wednesday night, WRC-TV reported.

When the man went to investigate, he said he got within inches of the animal and went to pet it before realizing it was a bear, according to the television station.

The man ran back into his home and called authorities, WRC reported.

It is not the first time a bear has been spotted in the area. One was seen digging through garbage cans in nearby Kensington earlier this week, the Washingtonian reported.

The area is only a few blocks away from interstate traffic on the inner loop of the Capital Beltway.

In Kensington, resident Ian Velinsky said he may not walk his dog again in the neighborhood until “there is some resolution.”

Fellow resident Andrea Heyl said she received messages about the animal roaming through the neighborhood.

“I was just about to step outside and I read the text that said, ‘There’s a bear on your front yard,’” Heyl told WRC. “So I stopped, I came back inside and then all, you know, we went crazy because we have a lot of pets and we wanted to make sure everyone was inside and accounted for.”

Bears are rare in Montgomery County, according to Jonathan Trudeau of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. He said they tend to breed in Maryland’s western counties and that the ones seen in Chevy Chase or Kensington are young males passing through the area, the Washingtonian reported.

Trudeau emphasized that people should never feed -- or even approach -- a bear.

“This applies to wildlife in general; they do not need you to feed them to survive,” Trudeau told the publication.