Dog 'herds' 400 lbs. black bear off Adams County farm

A Hancock farmer had quite the surprise Tuesday morning when a large black bear wandered onto her property. But thanks the instincts of her trusted dog, Trixie, the bear found it's way back into the woods.

Paulette Hansen runs Maple Valley Farm in the Adams County town of Hancock.

"Go get 'em",” she command Trixie during an afternoon round of herding cattle.

"This morning I let my dog out and she was barking and barking and I was trying to do my kitchen chores and I looked out the window and I thought at first I had an Angus cow out. And then I looked again and it was a black bear,” Hansen recalled.

"Literally, about 5 feet tall.. 4 ½ feet at the top of his back,” she said.

She said she believes it weighed about 400 pounds.

Hansen said knowing Trixie was outside, she began calling the dog inside. But said Trixie knew the bear didn't belong and she went to work.

“Her goal.... she kept taking it out to the edge of the fence. And we had that one gate open and got the bear through that,” she explained.

She said Trixie is a Blue Heeler-- and was breed

"They're bred to herd cattle. That's their job. Or bears in this case,” Hansen chuckled.

She said once the bear the left the property, Trixie came running back.

“Jumped in the 4-wheeler and away we went. Just another day. Another day on the farm.”

Hansen said she's never seen a bear on her property before, but now she's knows Trixie will be ready if he ever returns.