I Have Lost a Beloved Pet
Now Bear hasn't left this world just yet but I know he is getting ready and he will depart soon. I need to write this now beacause I won't be able to later. I have been blessed with a lot of great critters and I have had dogs before that have touched my heart but no one has touched me like him.
The start
Let me tell you his story. My wife was visiting family a few states away when she called me to tell me she wanted us to take in another dog and I have to be honest at that point I really didn't want to. She proceeded to tell me how he had spent his entire life as an outdoor only animal confined to small yards. She told me he was older and that the girl that owned him, ( a friend of her daughters) was moving and because she wasn't going to have a yard was going to take him to the shelter where he would probably be put down. I explained he most likely would never get along with the two we already had and that we would have to keep them seperated which would require a fair amount of effort not to mention the fact that I would have to fence of a portion of the yard just for him. Now it wasn't like we didn't have the room but between horses, dogs and cats we had enough rescue animals and I didn't need to bring in another one from over 1,000 miles away. She said okay we could talk about it later then she told me to check my e-mail cause she was sending me a couple pictures. She is a really bad photographer and all I could see was a field of black two eyes and a spot of pink tongue, really could not make out any features.
Well she gets home from her trip and all she can talk about is this dog so just to get some rest I said okay. Next thing I know I am building a dog house with windows and a covered front porch. No kidding it is the nicest dog house you will ever see, got a couple columns in the front with two porch lights the front porch is 4 feet by 4 feet and the main house is 4 feet by 8 feet, has two really nice windows too. Now I did not realize at the time I was building it but I was really making this a pretty special dog house, was putting in a lot of effort to make it just right. Next was the fencing, it had to be easy to get him in and out of the house, had to have a few really nice trees in it and lots of shady places to lay in. I guess even before we met I must have known something
So now we get him a plane ticket, no I am not kidding he is over 1,000 miles away so driving to get him is out of the question so a plane ticket it is, find out the flight includes a layover in Texas during which time he will remain in the cargo hold. Uh no, that wasn't going to work so for a mere $100.00 we get him taken off the plane and exercised. Now I am only telling you all this so you have some idea of what was involved in us meeting, a meeting I honestly proclaimed I didn't want yet at the same time seemed compelled if not destined to have.
We meet at last.
So I wind up having to drive to the airport to get him, a quick two hour drive. Plane is scheduled to land at 8:00pm airline tells me to go to the cargo area around 8:30, yeah right it was way after 9:00 when I see a guy pushing a cart with the biggest friggin' kennel on it I have ever seen and I wonder what the hell is in it. Just then a guy approaches me and asks if I am here to pick up "BEAR". I said yes and he waives the guy with the giant kennel in our direction. Oh, Lord is all I can think. It's dark, the kennel is dark, Bear is Black I can't see squat except a pair of big eyes staring out at me and they are pretty far apart. Now I am thinking poor dog has been in this crate for the last 3 hours, we got a two hour drive I have to let him out so he can do whartever and I need to give him some water. Problem is I don't know if he is even going to like me. Sure he's quiet now but what is he going to do when I open that cage door.
We get his kennel loaded int the back of the SUV and it takes two of us to pick it up. I drive to a secluded corner of the lot where ther is some grass and taking a deep breath unlatch the door and slowly open it, he doesn't move. Wonderful I have to reach in and attach the lead to his collar, I take a breath and say a quick prayer that the blood loss is minimal and reach in, he doesn't move. A couple tugs of the leash and he is now moving forward and I'm still praying. Out of the kennel pops a head the size of a bucket, a big old square head with the kindest eyes I have ever seen. He looks at me and all I can say is it was like two old frinds meeting up again, he is barking, his tail is wagging and he is staring right into my eyes. My heart melted on the spot, I gave him a big hug and told him welcome home. He did his thing and when he was finished he headed straight back to the truck but instead of heading around back he pulled me to the front door. Well I could see he was done with that old crate so I opened the door and he climbed up in and went right to the passenger seat and sat down like he had been doing it for years, the funny thing is it even felt natural for me. I climbed up in the truck and we looked at each other as I started it up. I laughed and said Bear it looks like we need to go home, guess he agreed cause he barked
Life with Bear
In the last 5+ years I have come to believe Bear and I have always been together and always will be, I know he is my "SPIRIT DOG". I swear his eyes twinkle when I call him that and tell him how I know we hunted dinosaurs together and how I know someday we will fly a starship together. Sometimes I wonder if we trade places, maybe I am the dog sometimes, perhaps one day I will learn that secret. I know our hearts and souls are connected and time and space will never truly seperate us. Bear was an older dog when we got him and because of how he lived he does not nor will he ever get along with the others, so I am his sole friend and playmate. He loves to bark and sometimes I call him "Sir Barks alot". we play tug of war and chase each other and when he tires of that we can be found laying on the floor watching TV in the evenings. He really took to being in the house and all I can say is knowing he had spent the earlier part of his life out in the elements I decided his senior years would be spnet in total comfort. The way the house we had at the time was designed all the bedrooms had sliding glass doors leading to either patios or decks. We had set it up so our other dogs could go in and out of one of the down stairs roomd already so it wasn't too much of a stretch to do the same thing for Bear with the other downstairs bedroom so now he had his own room and can go in and out as he pleases. He has lost most of the sight in one eye, has gone deaf and for a few year has been on thyroid and heart meds but he still acts like a puppy and his spirit, well it is just amazing.
The connection
Don't know if I can explain this without ya thinkin I am strange but Bear and I have a bond that goes way beyond a man and his dog. When he looks at me I see nothing but love in his eyes, ain't another creature owns my heart the way he does. His eyes are deep, warm and loving but when I look into them I can see a long history of our being together. It is a feeling I cannot describe but I know in my heart we have been together a very long time and shared many adventures. WE are so connected I swear sometimes we speak to each other without opening our mouths. He will be laying there and I can sense he wants me next to him, I know long before he gets up that he wants to go out. He knows when I am in the mood for a walk. He knows when things ain't right and he will come put his head in my lap. We are partners that share our energy and hearts.
He loves ice cream sandwiches and gets one every night after he finishes dinner.
He is getting packed to go.
Bear is really tired right now and I know his body is failing him, so does he. He tries to play but tires out right away, so now we lay side by side and he loves to be tickled. He doesn't bark that much anymore and it pains me to think of a house without his bark echoing through it. I pray he just goes to sleep one night and doesn't wake up, I want his departure to be easy. I am already feeling the pain and he hasn't left yet. The pain is not about death it is about not being able to be with him to touch him, to hear him, to take care of him. I know death is not an ending it is merely a change in form. Bear's energy will always be around me and with me, like those who have already passed. I will see him again as he checks up on me, I know some night when I least expect it I will hear him barking or hear his nails clicking on the tile floor. However for now I shall be saddened when his energy leaves his body behind, saddened to think I will no longer be able to stare into those amazingly deep and soulful eyes.
Bear, I don't know when, I don't know where but I pray that when you decide to move on You will let me be there to help you pass but I will understand if you just sorta want to slip off on your own my friend. I know you have stayed here much longer than you planned to and I know you have done that because of your love for me. I will cry when you leave that I cannot help, but please understand it's something humans do. I know my heart will hurt but the love we share and the memories of what we have shared in this time and place will get me through. I know we will be together again we have many amazing adventures ahead of us. And if we should change places remember I like ice cream sandwiches too, WOOF.
The start
Let me tell you his story. My wife was visiting family a few states away when she called me to tell me she wanted us to take in another dog and I have to be honest at that point I really didn't want to. She proceeded to tell me how he had spent his entire life as an outdoor only animal confined to small yards. She told me he was older and that the girl that owned him, ( a friend of her daughters) was moving and because she wasn't going to have a yard was going to take him to the shelter where he would probably be put down. I explained he most likely would never get along with the two we already had and that we would have to keep them seperated which would require a fair amount of effort not to mention the fact that I would have to fence of a portion of the yard just for him. Now it wasn't like we didn't have the room but between horses, dogs and cats we had enough rescue animals and I didn't need to bring in another one from over 1,000 miles away. She said okay we could talk about it later then she told me to check my e-mail cause she was sending me a couple pictures. She is a really bad photographer and all I could see was a field of black two eyes and a spot of pink tongue, really could not make out any features.
Well she gets home from her trip and all she can talk about is this dog so just to get some rest I said okay. Next thing I know I am building a dog house with windows and a covered front porch. No kidding it is the nicest dog house you will ever see, got a couple columns in the front with two porch lights the front porch is 4 feet by 4 feet and the main house is 4 feet by 8 feet, has two really nice windows too. Now I did not realize at the time I was building it but I was really making this a pretty special dog house, was putting in a lot of effort to make it just right. Next was the fencing, it had to be easy to get him in and out of the house, had to have a few really nice trees in it and lots of shady places to lay in. I guess even before we met I must have known something
So now we get him a plane ticket, no I am not kidding he is over 1,000 miles away so driving to get him is out of the question so a plane ticket it is, find out the flight includes a layover in Texas during which time he will remain in the cargo hold. Uh no, that wasn't going to work so for a mere $100.00 we get him taken off the plane and exercised. Now I am only telling you all this so you have some idea of what was involved in us meeting, a meeting I honestly proclaimed I didn't want yet at the same time seemed compelled if not destined to have.
We meet at last.
So I wind up having to drive to the airport to get him, a quick two hour drive. Plane is scheduled to land at 8:00pm airline tells me to go to the cargo area around 8:30, yeah right it was way after 9:00 when I see a guy pushing a cart with the biggest friggin' kennel on it I have ever seen and I wonder what the hell is in it. Just then a guy approaches me and asks if I am here to pick up "BEAR". I said yes and he waives the guy with the giant kennel in our direction. Oh, Lord is all I can think. It's dark, the kennel is dark, Bear is Black I can't see squat except a pair of big eyes staring out at me and they are pretty far apart. Now I am thinking poor dog has been in this crate for the last 3 hours, we got a two hour drive I have to let him out so he can do whartever and I need to give him some water. Problem is I don't know if he is even going to like me. Sure he's quiet now but what is he going to do when I open that cage door.
We get his kennel loaded int the back of the SUV and it takes two of us to pick it up. I drive to a secluded corner of the lot where ther is some grass and taking a deep breath unlatch the door and slowly open it, he doesn't move. Wonderful I have to reach in and attach the lead to his collar, I take a breath and say a quick prayer that the blood loss is minimal and reach in, he doesn't move. A couple tugs of the leash and he is now moving forward and I'm still praying. Out of the kennel pops a head the size of a bucket, a big old square head with the kindest eyes I have ever seen. He looks at me and all I can say is it was like two old frinds meeting up again, he is barking, his tail is wagging and he is staring right into my eyes. My heart melted on the spot, I gave him a big hug and told him welcome home. He did his thing and when he was finished he headed straight back to the truck but instead of heading around back he pulled me to the front door. Well I could see he was done with that old crate so I opened the door and he climbed up in and went right to the passenger seat and sat down like he had been doing it for years, the funny thing is it even felt natural for me. I climbed up in the truck and we looked at each other as I started it up. I laughed and said Bear it looks like we need to go home, guess he agreed cause he barked
Life with Bear
In the last 5+ years I have come to believe Bear and I have always been together and always will be, I know he is my "SPIRIT DOG". I swear his eyes twinkle when I call him that and tell him how I know we hunted dinosaurs together and how I know someday we will fly a starship together. Sometimes I wonder if we trade places, maybe I am the dog sometimes, perhaps one day I will learn that secret. I know our hearts and souls are connected and time and space will never truly seperate us. Bear was an older dog when we got him and because of how he lived he does not nor will he ever get along with the others, so I am his sole friend and playmate. He loves to bark and sometimes I call him "Sir Barks alot". we play tug of war and chase each other and when he tires of that we can be found laying on the floor watching TV in the evenings. He really took to being in the house and all I can say is knowing he had spent the earlier part of his life out in the elements I decided his senior years would be spnet in total comfort. The way the house we had at the time was designed all the bedrooms had sliding glass doors leading to either patios or decks. We had set it up so our other dogs could go in and out of one of the down stairs roomd already so it wasn't too much of a stretch to do the same thing for Bear with the other downstairs bedroom so now he had his own room and can go in and out as he pleases. He has lost most of the sight in one eye, has gone deaf and for a few year has been on thyroid and heart meds but he still acts like a puppy and his spirit, well it is just amazing.
The connection
Don't know if I can explain this without ya thinkin I am strange but Bear and I have a bond that goes way beyond a man and his dog. When he looks at me I see nothing but love in his eyes, ain't another creature owns my heart the way he does. His eyes are deep, warm and loving but when I look into them I can see a long history of our being together. It is a feeling I cannot describe but I know in my heart we have been together a very long time and shared many adventures. WE are so connected I swear sometimes we speak to each other without opening our mouths. He will be laying there and I can sense he wants me next to him, I know long before he gets up that he wants to go out. He knows when I am in the mood for a walk. He knows when things ain't right and he will come put his head in my lap. We are partners that share our energy and hearts.
He loves ice cream sandwiches and gets one every night after he finishes dinner.
He is getting packed to go.
Bear is really tired right now and I know his body is failing him, so does he. He tries to play but tires out right away, so now we lay side by side and he loves to be tickled. He doesn't bark that much anymore and it pains me to think of a house without his bark echoing through it. I pray he just goes to sleep one night and doesn't wake up, I want his departure to be easy. I am already feeling the pain and he hasn't left yet. The pain is not about death it is about not being able to be with him to touch him, to hear him, to take care of him. I know death is not an ending it is merely a change in form. Bear's energy will always be around me and with me, like those who have already passed. I will see him again as he checks up on me, I know some night when I least expect it I will hear him barking or hear his nails clicking on the tile floor. However for now I shall be saddened when his energy leaves his body behind, saddened to think I will no longer be able to stare into those amazingly deep and soulful eyes.
Bear, I don't know when, I don't know where but I pray that when you decide to move on You will let me be there to help you pass but I will understand if you just sorta want to slip off on your own my friend. I know you have stayed here much longer than you planned to and I know you have done that because of your love for me. I will cry when you leave that I cannot help, but please understand it's something humans do. I know my heart will hurt but the love we share and the memories of what we have shared in this time and place will get me through. I know we will be together again we have many amazing adventures ahead of us. And if we should change places remember I like ice cream sandwiches too, WOOF.
By:
humblerider
Age:
56-60
,
Male
4
responses
