Since I’ve been living in New Jersey (and certainly for the past 24 years of doing the Dennis and Judi show) we have spoken about Backyard Bears at least 100 times.

People, especially in North Jersey, are always calling to tell their tales about encounters with the big fuzzy guys in their backyards. And amazingly, very few people are scared of ‘em.

First of all, their visits to backyards in New Jersey have become so common that people have learned to deal with them. I’ve heard some amazing stories about bears and where they end up. With encroaching development, many types of wildlife have nowhere to go, so they roam around people’s backyards to try to get close to food.

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I wasn’t surprised when my friend told me that she had a friendly bear in the backyard of her Washington Twp. (yeah, the one way up there) home. In fact they’re actually pretty cute. The two “pals” roam around the backyard like a couple of stray cats.

But I did think it was pretty amazing when my friend described one of those bears actually knocking on her back door. I had to see it to believe it.

If you look at this video you can’t actually see the door itself because it’s taken from a security camera, but my friend’s daughter was home alone and freaked out when she heard a sound at the door and realized just who (or what) was doing the knocking.

My friend expertly tapped into her with the home’s security audio system and yelled at the bear to go away. And he did. No harm, no foul, no hurt feelings.

The next time she should probably just invite him in for a cup of Sanka and a piece of coffee cake. It’s the neighborly thing to do.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi Franco’s own.

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