Wheels of Justice

To Bear, the best dog I’ve ever had

The first time I saw him, he looked like a big wet rat. Wrapped in a towel and held at arm’s length, his big brown eyes just sparkled. You could see the energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm and the happiness just flashing over his face.  He was warm, safe and getting all the attention he needed, and he needed a lot. He made those happy sounds that everyone knows and loves.   
     Let me start at the very beginning, when my wife saw him running from door to door. She called and he came over to her, panting and wagging his tail. She picked him up and a guy came up and said thanks for catching him.  My wife asked how he got out, and the guy said, “He was in the cage in the back of my truck, I was taking him to be put to sleep for a lady I work for, because he doesn’t have any hair and the kids are mean to him.”
     My wife is one of those people who work to save the world. She saw her opportunity and asked the man, “If you’re going to put him to sleep, can I have him and you keep the money she gave your for putting him down?” “Sure lady, you can have him,” he replied and went back to his truck and drove off.
     For 12 years, Bear roamed the house as King of the Hill. He was always the first one to greet me when I came home. He was always happy to see me, no matter what mood I happened to be in. He always wanted to sit in my lap and watch everyone else. But most of all, he always wanted to lay back across my chest and do that little dog hug that dogs do. He was really great at dog hugs. He always looked me straight in the eye and smiled. I swear he was able to smile; in fact I know he was able to smile be-cause my wife and I always laughed when he smiled. Bear was the love master, and he made everyone love him.
     Of course, Bear lived in dog years and at 17 years old he was the equivalent of a 119-year- old man. But like all us old guys (we always think we are 18 when we wake up and age as the day goes along), Bear was no exception. By evening, he was tired and ready to rest.  He started to develop “conditions” such as Cushing Disease, arthritis and losing his hearing. These “conditions” required him to take medication every day, just like the rest of us old guys.
     Seeing Bear going down the slippery slope of old age was enough to break your heart. In fact, there was nothing to be done except the final act of love. We had to euthanize our boy because we loved him. We had to let him go because we loved him. We will never forget Bear because we loved him.