All About Bear

I have been remiss in updating this blog about Bear. He continues to do really well and while he isn’t getting any stronger, he doesn’t seem to be getting any weaker.
Bear loves people. And he has bonded very strongly to both Jim and I. He insists on following me everywhere and does show signs of separation anxiety when I leave. It only consists of whining for a short time but it is something to watch for.
Mr. Bear got his first visit to a dog park. For the most part it went well. When he was in the main area he greeted all the dogs well. It was only once he had been there awhile and was walking thru the trails that he ran into problems. Both times it was with young unneutered males. Perhaps he didn’t appreciate them coming up to him in such a bouncy manner. Perhaps he was tired from all the exercise (20 minutes). Perhaps he will never like unneutered males. But the dog park is not a place to bring Bear on a regular basis. He simply can not keep up to the other dogs and becomes tired quickly.
Bear’s health continues to be a mystery to us. While there are tests we could do, no matter what the results are, the outlook is dim. None of what we “think” is going on could be changed. And sedating him again worries me. He had a hard time recovering from the sedation last time we x-rayed his hips.
This boy proves time and time again that he has a wonderful temperament. With all the tests we have done, all the poking and prodding by strangers, he has always just stood by and let us do what we had to. He is great with Sashka and she is clearly taken with him. He is calm when people come over, greets them at the door and quickly settles with no problems. He certainly isn’t a guard dog but few people would chance walking in unannounced simply because of his size. Bear would do well in almost any type of home. But his new family would need to be aware of his limitations. Stairs will soon become a problem, slippery floors are a hazard for him and his weight must be watched. And Bear must be surrounded by plush squeaky toys. While he loves us, adores Sashka, really likes visitors, his favorite thing in the whole world is his toys. Bear will surround his dog bed with the toys he loves the most. He doesn’t destroy them, but rather, chews gently on them, making them his own.
We feed our animals a raw diet and because he is doing so well on this, I would like to see it continue. Bear is on supplements such as Salmon Oil and glucosamine. Treats are kept to a minimum in order to control his weight and short walks a couple of times a day is all this boy wants. As much as we love having Bear with us, he can certainly go into an adoption or foster home. If having a gentle quiet senior spending his time lying at your feet and enjoying your company is what you are looking for please let us know.