I have had Bear since the day he was born. He was a spunky little puppy that loved to play and snuggle. As he grew older we shared a bond that no one has ever been able to come between. He loved everyone and was loved by everyone. Even though he would go to others to be petted, he always looked back at me to say "Your still my number one, Mom". He sounded real mean when someone would come to the door, He would bark and growl, but his tail would be wagging non-stop. And if you knew where the treat jar was, then you were an extra special friend. He would still bark like crazy when you came in the drive, until you got on the porch. He was my door bell,  no one could ever sneak in. No way not with him standing guard.



A few times, not many I had to leave him at a kennel or at my parents house. He would stand there and look at me with big sad eyes, tail wagging a little like, please, please don’t leave me here without you. I would always tell him “I’ll be back for you, remember, I always come back”. Not that it seemed to help much. He was always excited when I came back for him. If I would run to the store and come back ½ an hour later, It was like I had been gone for a week. My first order of business was always to put everything down and pet him. He lived for that, and so did I.



We had a rule. If I call you up to three times and you come back I will not punish you. If I have to come after you then you will get punished (usually tied on his run or put in his pen). He knew that rule and would always push it to the 3rd time. That darn dog could count. 



He loved popcorn with butter, his kong toy with peanut butter on it, and anything else I was eating. He always shared my dinner (except the vegetables), he didn’t just get the fat from the meat, he got the meat. But I taught him that if he begged he didn’t get anything. He would lay there with his head on his paws, until I said “here”, then he would lift his head and take whatever I gave him. Occasionally, if I didn’t move fast enough for him he would lift his head. I just had to say “What are you supposed to do?” and he would put it back down. After a while I just had to say “hey” and he knew what to do.



He loved to go for a ride. He wanted the window down whether it was 80 degrees out and sunny or it was 10 degrees and snowing. People thought I was crazy because when it was 80 out I would be driving down the road with the air conditioning on and the window down or the heater going full blast in the winter. I always tried to give him the best of everything.



I gave him the best present any owner could give their pet, when I took him in to have him put down. He was very sick and even though I didn’t want to part with him, I couldn’t stand to see him unhappy. He died in my arms. He is at peace now and waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge. We will meet again some day and I can’t wait to hug him.