People might think bringing their dogs to grizzly country makes them safer because their loyal, dutiful companions will put themselves between danger and their owners.

The reality is, having your dog along for protection frequently makes things worse. Dogs can harass and enrage bears, then run away while their owners get mauled.

That’s according to a study led by bear biologist Tom Smith of Brigham Young University in Utah.

Smith and a team of researchers analyzed 326 bear-human conflicts involving dogs across North America. The incidents happened from 1901 to 2023, and involved black bears, brown bears (including grizzlies) and polar bears.

Smith studied bears for decades, spending time in the field with all three species, and told Cowboy State Daily that his best advice is to leave F

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