Saying Goodbye to Bear

Seven years ago my husband and I adopted a sweet Belgian Shepherd Mix. He was 8 years old at the time. We changed his given name slightly to "Bear" since he looked like one. He was the sweetest and most gentle dog I had ever met.

This is a tribute to Bear.

We wanted a buddy for our 12 year old Shepherd/Collie mix Mika. We could not have picked a better brother. They hit it off right away! Mika and Bear were like two peas in a pod. 

Bear wasn't a very complicated guy. He loved chilling out, chewing sticks, eating pine cones and all of his stuffed toys. 

Bear fit right in and enjoyed our big backyard and going to new places. He loved whatever he was doing.

Bear and Mika enjoyed several trips to Nova Scotia. They were always a joy to be with and always got a lot of attention from people.

 

Bear was a happy go lucky boy. Always happy to do whatever.

It was time to add a puppy to the mix. We wanted our seniors to teach a young one. In came Judique, an adopted Husky mix from Iqaluit. She was Bear's playing partner leaving our more senior Mika to rest.

 

When our beloved Mika passed away at the age of 15, Bear and Judique carried on the tradition of coming to Nova Scotia with us every year. They always had a great time together. 

 

  

Judique and Bear were alone together for a couple of years and were good buddies. Judique was the boss of Bear and he was okay with that.

Bear was just a pleasure to take care of. As he aged his needs changed and I was always happy to accommodate him the best I could. 

In comes "Effie", a young energetic Husky mix from Iqaluit. We adopted her on Valentine's Day in 2014. She was a buddy more for Judique to give Bear a bit of a break. Turns out Effie loved playing with both dogs, keeping Bear on his toes.

 

In the end it was Bear's weak back end that took him from me. He had gradually lost all the muscle mass and found it harder to get up and stand still. He still enjoyed his walks, just at a slower pace.

But when the struggle was too much, his food no longer enjoyed, when his tail wagged less and less and the spark left his beautiful eyes I knew it was time to let him go. It is an excruciating decision to make for one you love but it's also a self less one. I wanted more time with Bear but it would have been for me and not him.

Our vet came out to the house and Bear was able to go over the Rainbow Bridge very peacefully in my arms. And as very sad as I am right now, I am so grateful to have known, loved and cared for Bear from the time he was 8 years old to his 15th year.

Run free Bear with your sister Mika. You will never be forgotten.

See also my tribute to my beautiful Mika - Saying Goodbye to Mika