A woman was shocked to discover a huge black bear had taken up hibernation - under the deck in her back garden.
Tyler Dashukewich, 28, knew something was up when the family dogs began acting skittish and nervous while outside.
She said: "They were being skittish and looking toward the deck. I thought that maybe it was a bunny, or a squirrel or something like that."
Her brother Vinnie Dashukewich peeked under the deck last week after the dogs' behaviour continued - only to spot the sleeping intruder.
Tyler, a photographer, from Plainville, Connecticut, USA, said: "I was shocked. I thought it would be a little bear, but it was really big."
She contacted Connecticut's Department of Energy
and Environmental Protection in the hope that they would be able to help.
They recommended pouring hot water on the massive bear or making loud noises to scare it off.
Tyler, who lives with her four-year-old daughter Everly, disregarded the agency's advice and decided to not bother the creature.
She added: "They recommended pouring hot water on it or using air-horns to scare it away, but we didn't want to bother it so we let it stay there."
"I see them so much so I wasn't really scared. If it had moved I would have been scared for sure."
"It'll be there around three months,.I haven't heard of a bear hibernating underneath someone's deck before."
Tyler, although used to having bears in the vacinity, still expressed concern at the creature's presence, as she has a young daughter.
She said: "The good thing is that it's pretty cold, so we don't really play outside, but I don't let her get close to it, so we play in the front yard."