Bear dog

Meowma is taking over my blog today. She says she has to write about Bear dog because he crossed the bridge yesterday. She also says I must sing(pray) for him as he crosses. I wasn't very happy about this and let her know about it. She relented and told me that she understood that I didn't want to sing him across (being that he is a dog, and he did like to chase cats).....but she told me that I had to sing for his beans. She reminded me that his beans would come play with me and that his bean mama would come feed me and torment...I mean play with me. So, here is Meowma.

I paws today to remember Bear. He was not my dog, but belonged to good friends of mine. I don't recall how long he was on this earth, but do know that he lived a long, good life.

I remember him first as a small black ball of fluff. So tiny and cute with that black tongue hanging out. Playing and nipping with or at anyone who would get near him. I missed some of his years as I was in school and then moved and lived an hour away. The times whe I would visit....once he realized that he knew me, he would greet me joyously and let me enter the house. He was a good protector. He liked to chase the neighborhood or stray cats that would wander around (much to my dismay). When his beans would get ready to go on the mountain (camping) his whole body would wiggle in anticipation. He knew what all that packing meant. He could hardly wait to get up there and start chasing those "fat butts" (some kind of rodent, don't ask their actual name....I don't recall it). He also had many friends on the mountain...both the bean kind and the canine kind. He was a well-behaved dog and was welcome at all camps. He would go for walks each morning with his bean Mom (Teena) and would go visiting with his bean Dad (Frank). When he wasn't chasing fat butts, walking or visiting he was happy to curl up in the shade and enjoy the cooler weather. All that fur kept him quite warm.

Quite often his bean Mom would brush, bathe and trim him. While he wasn't happy with this whole process, I think he felt pretty good once it was all done. And he always looked so handsome when she was done. As he got older his Mom took him to a pet spa where he could walk up into a big tub to be washed. I think the funnest thing for him here was how wet he could get his Mom. I think she came back as wet or wetter than he was.

In his later years he would lay on the front porch. He watched all the activities around him, barked at those critters he thought were a danger and just relaxed. He always loved a good scratch behind the ears and eagerly looked forward to "treat" time. And he still looked forward to going up on the mountain...even if he aging body wouldn't let him chase fat butts like he wanted to.

This past weekend he got to enjoy a last trip to the mountains. His Mom tells me he wasn't feeling well so they loaded up to get him home and to the (dreaded) vet. His Mom rode with him in the back of the truck and he passed with his head lying in her lap. She informed me of his death through her tears and we talked a bit about him.

He has friends at the bridge, so he won't be alone. He is also healthy and running around like that small black ball of fluff again. I know that he will be happy to greet his beans when it is their time to cross the bridge. Until then we all remember him with much love.

Juniors Meowma