A dog named Doodle was a brave boy in the face of a bear that broke into his Southern California house, and it was all caught on video.

What's happening?

Security footage showed a large black bear swiping at the dog, who dodged the attack and barked boldly. The dog briefly stood its ground before the bear walked into the room while Doodle ran and wisely hid.

Security camera video caught the moment a bear came nose-to-nose with a dog inside a Southern California home over the weekend
byu/PradipJayakumar inoddlyterrifying

The Monrovia home's owner, Zoe Cadman, said it wasn't until the bear opened her fridge that the light woke her up. The bear left on its own, she said, according to 6abc.

"Bears, deer, coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes are pretty commonly seen roaming the streets in the northern part of the city," one commenter explained.

Some people asked why the bear was wearing a collar — or, per one goofy joke, "headphones" — and it turns out it was not listening to Bear Naked Ladies, as another person quipped, but that it was a tracking device used to keep tabs on bears that have had such encounters.

"He was first fitted with that tracking collar last summer because he is such a nuisance," one commenter said.

Why are animal encounters like this important?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison published findings about the "proximity in space and time of animals of various species," and the research supports what's called "the compression hypothesis," which states that the more humans there are in an area, the more encounters there will be.

"Compression works like a house party. The more people you crowd into a party, the less elbow room you're going to have and the more likely someone is going to step on your toes," Neil Gilbert, the lead author, said.

The changing climate also contributes to these clashes. A study by University of Washington researchers shows that "shifts in temperature and rainfall, both short-term extreme weather events and long-term changes to the climate, were the most common drivers of human-wildlife conflicts," as Inside Climate News reported. 

What's being done about these interactions?

Raising awareness of the presence of bears and how to behave around them is one approach.

Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes 👍 No 👎 It depends on the animal 🐍 It depends on the person 🤓 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture recommends that people "Be bear aware" and offers guidance on what to do if you do happen to find yourself in a tête-à-tête with a bear.

On a global scale, the United Nations met for a biodiversity conference in 2022 to address human-animal conflicts and create a joint agreement.

"Resolving conflicts about wildlife is not a simple matter of installing fences, lights or noisemakers to keep animals away from crops, property or livestock," Alexandra Zimmerman, who chairs the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence Specialist Group, wrote for The Conservation. "Resolving human-wildlife conflicts means resolving divisions and disharmony between people."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.