What to do if approached by a bear (note, this will not work for a wolf):
1. Try to identify the type of bear. There are three types most important to distinguish between
A. Bear you owe money to
B. Bear whom you don't owe money to
C. Bear who is in a religious cult
the way you deal with each is different
If you owe the bear money, the best thing to do is to repay the money and do so with a compliment but NOT AN EXCUSE. Bears hate excuses. Just pay the money, tell the bear that his winter coat is coming in nicely and then tell him you have a meeting and can't chat. It will take the bear a few minutes to remember that today is not Sunday and you have no work, so you have no meeting. By then, you will have walked away. Bears have limited calenderical skills so one must exploit that weakness. If you don't have the money, ask the bear if he can give you just 1 more day. Beg and plead (bears are made uncomfortable by tears). The moment the bear seems to relent, say thank you, make wild promises and quickly get on a place headed to Borneo.
If you don't owe money to the bear, strike up a conversation about the weather -- to a bear, this is not small talk. It is an important part of planning each day. Talk about how it is getting colder and ask how the hibernation plans are going. Do not ask for pictures as bears rarely carry pictures because they don't have pockets. Bears are very sensitive about not having pockets, so stay away from this topic. Also, don't bring up politics or cars. Bears have very strong opinions and don't know when to shut up. Try to get out of the conversation before the bear asks to borrow money. Damn bears.
If the bear belongs to a religious cult, one should present the bear with a rhubarb pie. Trust me on this one. Just give 'em the pie.
You're welcome.