A West Hartford resident went out to cut the lawn Saturday morning, and found a large furry visitor in the pool.

This black bear decided to go for a swim on a hot July morning. Photo credit: Linda Geisler

By Ronni Newton

When the hot, humid dog days of summer hit, a dip in a pool is one of the best methods of cooling off.

It’s been steamy in West Hartford for the past few days, and one black bear most likely couldn’t resist the inviting water of Linda Geisler’s pool on Midlands Drive.

Geisler said that her teenage daughter went out to cut the lawn Saturday morning, uttered an exclamation that can’t be printed, and immediately ran inside to grab a camera.

Geisler ran to the window and saw a black bear swimming in her pool. She banged on the window to scare it away and said the bear slowly climbed out of the pool and meandered away, hopping over the fence in the backyard.

This is the second time in the past several months that Geisler, who recently moved to Midlands, has had a bear in her yard. “Perhaps we need a bigger fence,” she joked.

For more information about bears in West Hartford, what to do if you see a bear, and when to contact DEEP, click here.

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