Colorado bear cools off in backyard kiddie pool

A black bear in Colorado found the summer setup it needed: a backyard kiddie pool filled with water on a deck in the Steamboat Springs area.

Katie Cole shared video of the bear’s visit, according to UPI. The pool, Cole said, was not put out for wandering wildlife. It was there for her dogs.

Cole told KDVR she was glad the bear could use the water to cool off during the summer heat. The video showed the animal using the small pool in her backyard, turning a pet amenity into a bear-sized pit stop.

The encounter came during a season when Colorado wildlife officials had already warned residents to expect more bear activity. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said early in the summer that drought conditions were likely to push bear sightings higher across the state, according to UPI.

CPW had logged 98 bear sightings by late April, UPI reported. For comparison, the agency recorded 127 sightings statewide in all of 2025.

Bear sightings expected to rise

The Steamboat Springs-area visit fits the pattern described by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which linked the expected increase in bear reports to drought. The agency’s warning suggested residents could see more bears entering communities as conditions change.

No injuries or damage were reported in connection with Cole’s backyard video, according to the details reported by UPI. Cole’s reaction, as reported, was a generous one: the dogs’ pool had done its job, even if the customer was larger and furrier than planned.

The bear’s brief backyard cool-down also became part of a wider run of odd animal encounters making headlines, with UPI categorizing the story under Odd News and animals.

This story draws on original reporting from UPI.