Karelian Bear Dogs

When I lived in Michigan, I was fascinated with the environment and animals of the Pacific Northwest. There was a tv show on…way back when…called Northwoods Law and sometimes they would feature “The Bear Dogs”. I was fascinated with the work that these dogs would do. There were no bear dogs in Michigan so when we moved to Western Washington, I was so excited to get to meet Spencer, who was part of The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Bear Dog Program. Spencer has retired, but meeting him led me to meeting Nils Petersen, the director of Wind River Bear Institute in Alaska. Along with Carrie Hunt, founder of Wind River, they train bear dogs, educate the public, raise awareness and so many other things!

Karelian Bear dogs are originally from Finland, where they are used to hunt big game, such as moose. Carrie realized that KBD’s have the perfect disposition for “bear shepherding”. This concept teaches humans to prevent human/bear conflicts while also teaching the bear behavior based lessons to create boundary awareness and avoidance of human occupied space.

Known as WK-9s, these dogs not only serve as bear deterrents, but also as ambassadors to their community by educating the public.

Over the past 24 years, the bear shepherding method and WK-9 programs have resulted in 800 actions annually, with no injuries to bears, WK-9s or humans.

WK-9s are serving in Canada, Japan and across the U.S.

With the re-introduction of Grizzly Bears in the Northern Cascades, I, personally, think it would be a great idea to bring the bear dog program back in full force, not only to keep bears from being problematic, but to teach HUMANS!
These dogs are amazing in their work ethic and love their job. They are boisterous, loud and determined. When not working, they love to interact with humans and play. Not known for being affectionate, they are independent but still do well when dealing with the public.