Great Falls Dog's Injury Could Stem from Bear Encounter

Fairfax County Animal Control officials are investigating a report that a dog was injured by wildlife, possibly a bear, in Great Falls earlier this week, according to county police.

A veterinarian who treated the dog’s injury called county authorities on Tuesday, July 21, to report the dog had sustained its injury on the 100 block of River Park Lane. The vet also reported the injury was the result of an encounter with wildlife, an encounter the vet estimated took place on Sunday, July 19.

“Without a witness, it is hard to say exactly what happened to cause the dog’s injury, but in an abundance of caution, animal control and wildlife management personnel remind residents to keep their pets contained to their property and monitor their time outdoors,” Katherine Edwards, Ph.D., Certified Wildlife Biologist for Fairfax County, said in a Fairfax County Police bulletin.

Trail cameras will be set up on Thursday, July 23, in wooded areas near the scene of the River Park Lane incident in hopes of uncovering any unusual wildlife activity taking place in the area.

“Fairfax County does not have record of any similar incidents, but there are cases where injuries resulted from dogs attacking other dogs and those were erroneously attributed to wildlife,” Dr. Edwards added in the bulletin.

Black bear are not known to be aggressive, and they’ll often retreat when encountered. However, most bears are attracted to property because of an available food source.

So far, in 2015, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has received reports of twelve bear sightings, most recently on July 22 in the Chantilly area.

One Patch reader also spotted a black bear wandering through a McLean neighborhood earlier this week.

Fairfax County Police shared some simple tips to minimize interactions with bears and other wildlife, including:

• Keeping a respectful distance
• Making sure to secure your trash or contain it in an animal-proof dumpster
• Remembering to not leave pet food outside
• Taking down your birdfeeder for 3–4 weeks after a bear visits
• Leash walking pets and never leaving them unattended outside

Image credit: Fairfax County Police and NBC4