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I work at a car dealership and this is what recently happened at a neighboring car dealer.<br /><br />Bear breaks into car dealership<br /><br />June 28, 2005 <br /><br />By Brent Curtis Herald Staff <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The window at Automobile International in Clarendon has been boarded up after a black bear broke through the glass Sunday.<br />RUTLAND HERALD <br />NORTH CLARENDON For a few hours Sunday, the offices of Automobile International on Route 7 were transformed into a bear cave.<br /><br />A wayward black bear busted through one of the dealership's display windows sometime Sunday and roamed around trying to find its way back out, according to the state game warden and the dealership's owners.<br /><br />No one actually saw the bear, but its muddy footprints, claw marks and a pile of droppings were found in the showroom and adjoining offices. 
<br /><br />"We thought at first it was a break-in until we saw the tracks," said co-owner A.J. Michel.<br /><br />It seemed from the evidence that the bear tried just about every other exit before returning to the hole it made coming through the window.<br /><br />Most of the internal and outside windows were covered with smudge marks; cabinets and walls were scratched and the bear actually climbed onto a table where it clawed up some ceiling tiles trying to climb out, A.J. Michel and his sister Celeste Michel said.<br /><br />"I found an invoice on my desk with a big paw print on it," said saleswoman Mitzi Newton. "It gives me the heebie-jeebies."<br /><br />Remarkably, none of the vehicles on display in the showroom were touched.<br /><br />Game warden Don Isabelle said he believes the bear ran headlong through the window after being spooked or maybe even hit by a car while crossing Route 7.<br /><br />"Usually, there's food involved if they're breaking into houses and there was none of that involved in this situation," Isabelle said. "Or maybe he just wanted to test-drive a car and didn't want to wait until they were open."<br /><br />Black bears, especially males, have been on the move across the state this month, which marks the animals' mating season.<br /><br />Isabelle said he's already received a handful of complaints about bears raiding bird feeders and rummaging through people's garbage. A few weeks ago, a black bear was hit by a car on West Street in Rutland.<br /><br />He said homeowners can avoid run-ins with bears by refraining from feeding their pets outdoors.<br /><br />Celeste Michel said she hasn't yet calculated the amount of damage done by the bear, but she said it's possible the dealership could cash in on the animal down the road.<br /><br />"We're thinking of offering a bear promotional," she said. "We're going to call it the 'bear minimum' on prices<br /> <br /><br /><br />bob<br /><br />I think that was a nice gesture on the part of the bear!
<br /><br />"We thought at first it was a break-in until we saw the tracks," said co-owner A.J. Michel.<br /><br />It seemed from the evidence that the bear tried just about every other exit before returning to the hole it made coming through the window.<br /><br />Most of the internal and outside windows were covered with smudge marks; cabinets and walls were scratched and the bear actually climbed onto a table where it clawed up some ceiling tiles trying to climb out, A.J. Michel and his sister Celeste Michel said.<br /><br />"I found an invoice on my desk with a big paw print on it," said saleswoman Mitzi Newton. "It gives me the heebie-jeebies."<br /><br />Remarkably, none of the vehicles on display in the showroom were touched.<br /><br />Game warden Don Isabelle said he believes the bear ran headlong through the window after being spooked or maybe even hit by a car while crossing Route 7.<br /><br />"Usually, there's food involved if they're breaking into houses and there was none of that involved in this situation," Isabelle said. "Or maybe he just wanted to test-drive a car and didn't want to wait until they were open."<br /><br />Black bears, especially males, have been on the move across the state this month, which marks the animals' mating season.<br /><br />Isabelle said he's already received a handful of complaints about bears raiding bird feeders and rummaging through people's garbage. A few weeks ago, a black bear was hit by a car on West Street in Rutland.<br /><br />He said homeowners can avoid run-ins with bears by refraining from feeding their pets outdoors.<br /><br />Celeste Michel said she hasn't yet calculated the amount of damage done by the bear, but she said it's possible the dealership could cash in on the animal down the road.<br /><br />"We're thinking of offering a bear promotional," she said. "We're going to call it the 'bear minimum' on prices<br /> <br /><br /><br />bob<br /><br />I think that was a nice gesture on the part of the bear!
