heartbroken

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Bear B has gone on his last adventure. He passed away this morning, shortly before noon. He was 9 years old.

Bear was given to me as a gift from one of my teachers. He was a big ball of black fluff and it was hard to find the puppy in all that fur. He had just a sprinkling of copper through his coat and reminded me of Christmas teddy bears from my childhood. That’s how he got his name.

Bear was the undocumented son of two pure bred show dogs, a chow chow and a border collie after they accidentally got together during the process of their family moving to a new home.

He was a smart dog who learned rules quickly and could almost always be logically talked out of a bad decision. He was full of love and compassion. He liked everybody as a rule, and would be genuinely confused when someone else’s pet didn’t offer the same sort of friendly acceptance.

Bear had a way of looking at you that made you feel like he could see into your very soul. He loved hugs and wrestling with his daddy. He enjoyed long snuggles and even longer naps.

He was a bit of a lazy fella, and he really did know how to lounge. His best friend was Stone the cat (Stone passed away a couple of years ago).

Bear loved to be a part of anything and everything. If you got up, he wanted to go with you. His favorite thing in the whole world was the snow. He’d dive down underneath the huge piles and burrow around. He’d go outside with the guys and get right in the path of the snow as they tossed it off their shovels. He had to be forced to come in out of the cold or he would have stayed out there forever.

Bear loved his mom’s home cooking and enjoyed the fact that mom never seemed to finish a meal. He was always happy to clean up any spills.

Bear suffered from canine idiopathic epilepsy. He was a few years old before we witnessed his first seizure and he was immediately diagnosed. It is likely he suffered from this condition his whole life without us even knowing.

He was a happy dog. He laughed and smiled and loved playing and snuggling with his family. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed by all.