‘If you go down to the woods today

You’re sure of a big surprise.

If you go down to the woods today

You won’t believe your eyes.”

This is a song that has been resonating through my head recently because, during my walks with my dog, I’ve received reports from my neighbors that there is a bear in the neighborhood.

One neighbor reported that her neighbor put out a pumpkin and was complaining that someone had damaged it. When they went over to look at it, it had claw marks down the sides. My friend was afraid to tell her companion that it looked like bear marks.

My other neighbor said that the stands for his bird feeders have been bent to the ground – twice. He finally decided to take them down. He raises chickens, and he was afraid the bear would come back and get into the poultry coop.

At the end of the street that goes by our house there is a wooded area and a pond. When I take the dog into the woods, she immediately heads for the pond, which is muddy and boggy. She is delighted by the smells on the path and shows a lot of enthusiasm about tracking any new aromas. During the 30 years that we have lived in our house, I have seen a moose going into the woods, foxes come out, coyotes emerge and deer come out of the woods and stand and eat under the crabapple tree in our back yard – but I have never seen a bear.

Lots of people walk their dogs in these woods. They move at a fast clip, and usually their dogs are smaller than my dog. Since listening to my neighbors’ reports, I’ve stayed out of the woods. The song that resonates in my head ends with:

“Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic.”

I’m sure if I ran into a bear, we would both scatter in different directions. This is what has happened the few times I have met a bear outdoors. Even so, I’m not walking my dog in the woods.