Melissa Jones arrived home Tuesday night after a family camping trip to Cooper Landing.
As she drove up to the house, near the Eagle River Nature Center, she and her two young boy passengers spotted two black bear cubs playing in the yard.
Her immediate thought was "Where's the mom?"
Her question was answered before she exited the vehicle as the mother bear jumped out of the open kitchen window.
It's not the first time the Eagle River family has experienced a pesky bear situation, Jones said in a phone conversation.
Earlier this season, Jones said a young bear would stop by their property every day for four weeks straight.
The family moved to the house a year ago, and Jones said they are still learning all the precautions to take against intrusive bears.
For instance, the family left their kitchen window ajar when they headed out on their camping trip. The screen guard proved no match for the bear when it came to protecting the house.
Tuesday, after the bears took off, the Joneses discovered their kitchen had been ransacked by the mother bear.
Jones said all of the cupboards were opened and emptied out. Food scattered the floor.
But that was not the last the Joneses saw the bears.
They stopped by several more times throughout the night, at least once peering through the same window through which the mom bear entered and exited.
The family thought the bears had left for good when they were last sighted around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
But this evening, Jones emailed to say the bears had come back and got into a scuffle with the family dog. She said the bear cut up the dog's paw.
The Joneses have notified the Alaska Department of Fish and Game of the run-ins.
Wildlife officials told Jones she may have to start carrying bear spray and be prepared to use it. They also told her to make sure to close her windows when she leaves the house.
Jones tried to take the whole ordeal in stride.
"It was quite a (sight) to see for our children and family visiting from Ireland," Jones wrote in an email. "We made a promise of a true Alaska experience and I believe we followed through."