A man from Aspen, Colorado awoke from an afternoon nap on his deck only to discover that the “German shepherd” nibbling on his ankle was actually a black bear.

According to Scripps Media.com, 77-year-old Peter Rizzuto began petting the animal, which he thought was the neighbor’s dog.

However, it did not take him long to realize that the massive creature was not even close to being a dog.

Rizzuto stated that he thought it was a German shepherd. He started to pet it by saying “nice doggy.” Then bear then took his ankle but did not break the skin. Rizzuto discovered that the dog was actually a bear when he looked down at his feet and saw really big claws.

Meanwhile, the encounter with the bear was short-lived, and it appeared that the bear was only curious. The bear looked at Rizzuto and backed up.

Black bears are not usually aggressive creatures, but when encountering one, it is best to give them space rather than running away.

With additional reporting by Sal Lopez

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