In Memory of Bear

? ?th, 1989 to March 30th, 2003, 1:00 pm

We lay Bear to rest at Tree Park,under the arms of the Ancient tree, facing East so he might watch the sun rise over the Great Hill...I wear his license, which once belonged to Barron, around my neck on my Soul necklace...He went quietly and peacefully, without pain at the Fullerton Airport Animal Hospital, surrounded by myself, Brushie, and my parents.

I had originally written out a speech Brushie was going to read at the official funeral, but there weren't enough people who were able to make it...so I'll put it here.

We come together today to say our last goodbyes to Bear-bear, our beloved dog. He was more than just a dog, he was our friend and companion, a devoted guardian and protector, and we'll miss him always. He was more than just a dog, he was family.

We'll miss his hot breath and cold nose against our leg under the dinner table; we'll miss him saying "Hello!" to us when we came home and he wedged himself between our legs. We'll miss the way his soft, floppy ears always perked up when we teased him about going on walks. We'll miss his great big fluffy body, which was half fur, and always made him look gigantic-yet-adorable. We'll miss how he always kept Bentley in line, and how forgiving he was even if he was kind of grumpy. We were always so glad Bear wasn't a lick-ie dog, or a drool-ie dog, or an insanely hyper, yip-yip dog.

Bear-bear was always loyal, he always made it clear who was a friend, and who he didn't like--he always had good judgement, and he always knew who you were mad at, so he could be mad at them too. Bear always had your back, like any close, good friend, and he was always supportive, ready to cheer you up if you were down with his company.

We put his body into the ground today, but his spirit goes on to places we cannot yet follow, free of the burdens in this life. He will forever be in our hearts and memories, he was one of the best dogs a person could ever hope for, and perhaps someday when it is our turn, we'll meet again.

May your final walk be peaceful and pleasant, Bear-bear.

We loved you as you loved us.

Bear-bear came to me one night in December, he was trudging through the rain alongside the road. I felt his presence before I saw it, and when I realized who he was, I opened the passenger door and he jumped right in. He was grateful to be out of the rain, and he knew I would take good care of him. It took a bit of convincing my parents to let me keep him, but they did. Bear was always a charismatic dog, and everyone loved him. He would stand up if you entered the room, he would stand up if he was in your path--Brushie said, "He was always such a gentleman...I would tell him not to get up if I came into the room, but he always would."

Bear, also lovingly called "Big Bear," "Buh-bear," "Old Man," "My Bear," and sometimes, "Mear-mear," lived a good, long life at my parent's house. He loved going on walks, and if you so much as whispered, "Bear wanna go on a...?" his soft, floppy, furry ears would bounce right up higher on his head. We never figured out what kind of dog Bear was, but we think it was something to do with a German shepard, or another kind of sheep-herding dog. We don't know what language Bear learned, but it wasn't English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, or Korean, that's for sure. We also think Bear-bear was a trucker's dog, because he loved going on car rides, and could never sit anywhere but the passenger's seat.

He was such a gentle dog, and he tolerated our little neighbour's children dragging him around on a leash, or their slightly-rough handling. He never bit anyone or anything, even if he snapped or growled at someone--the only things he bit were food, and Bear loved food. His favourite foods were: any kind of meat, spaghetti and meatballs, bread with butter, dounuts, and stinky cat food.

During the summers, I would shave Bear, and he would just lay there blissfully, panting away as I shaved his thick double-coat off down to the skin. He loved the feel of his fur just coming away so he could be cooler. I'm not sure what he thought of his lion-style hairdo, but he was always happy to be cooler, even if I did leave some hair on his tail to swat the flies, even if he did look kinda silly. Bear had the most loving eyes, eyes which said to you that he trusted you and loved you, and that he was kind. He had his grumpy days, but we all have our grumpy days--but Bear never turned down a good petting, or a hug, and he always liked to be near you (especially if you had a piece of food which might *accidentally* fall on the floor under the table.

Bear-bear had many friends, because he was so gentle and lovable--and patient. He didn't like Bentley at first, but Bentley learned how to calm down and not bother him as much. Doogie and Bear were good friends, and they always got a long, and sometimes, they would play together on the front yard if Bentley wasn't there to bother them. All of the cats got a long with Bear, because he never chased them or treated them meanly, or bothered them. He had a lot of human friends too, and everyone loved Bear because he was such a sweet dog. He never drooled on you, licked you, emitted stinky gases, stole your food, or anything gross and typically dog-like in general. He did burp sometimes, but when he did so, he did it discretely, and if you heard him, he'd seem embarassed.

Bentley wanders around the house waiting for Bear to come back. Doogie wasn't there to say goodbye, or I would have brought him with us...that night, Doogie howled for hours. He knows now that Bear is gone, and he mourns his lost friend...As for me, I'm still crying, but I'll stop, someday...

In Memory of Bear

We Love you Bear

Always and forever.