They Call me Bear

4-4-02 | Me

[Movemout]

I am not a big fan of vanity posts but I buried a good friend yesterday. His name was Bear and I loved him dearly. He wasn't quite five years old. Bear was the source of much entertainment in our lives. He never offended anybody and loved females without regard to their species. A friend of mine who used to work at the Grand Ole Opry once told me that Bear always looked like he had on a tux and was waiting to meet his next girlfriend. I loved the little guy. He was a giant amongst Yorkshire Terriers. He weighed a whopping 16 pounds but he was felled by renal failure, probably brought on from the bite of a deer tick and subsequent Lyme Disease. I honor his passing with this vanity post and offer you a poem that I wrote in remembrance:

They Call me Bear

My name is Bear, I roamed the world
With my friend called Minnie Pearl
We faithfully served our humans well
And guarded them, I’m here to tell
We chased the deer and squirrels too
And raced the trails Oh how we flew!

I marked the yard and barked in glee
When the bowl was passed to me
I chased the ball and let it go
(I know Minnie just thinks I’m slow)
I pressed my nose up to the pane
To see my friends who knew my name

I would talk they’d answer back
With barks and growls and that’s a fact
The cats, the dogs, the people too
They loved me lots because they Knew

That I was the Bear.

I plowed through snow like a mighty ship
I cruised the fields and feared no whip
I loved life and it loved me
My world was of serenity

The sun shone warm upon my pelt
No lucky dog has ever felt
As free as I near mountains high
As my life went racing by
My belly full, my sister near
Life for me held no fear

I leave this world with few regrets
I’ve had my say as do most pets
So shed a tear then smile with me
As I go to wait for family
I’ll miss your hand upon my head
And all the words you ever said

I’ll just be gone for a little bit
To prepare a place for you to sit
So I might lie at your feet
In a place of warmth and smells so sweet
Meet me at the Rainbow Span
And we’ll explore another land

Just you and the Bear

[backhoe]

Fine poem, neighbor. Where I sit I can see the gravestone of Clancy, my Schutzhund who I buried a dozen years ago this month. Still hurts.

[Movemout]

Thanks. I hauled a 75 lb piece of quartz to his grave to serve as a headstone. I'm sure Clancy will be looking for a chance to run with you again.

[backhoe]

I hauled a 75 lb piece of quartz

You did a good thing... I often wonder where all that love and loyalty goes, does it vanish into oblivion, or do they stand guard on the other side of life and wait for our coming?

[mlmr]

My Yorkie Willie, at six pounds, was one of the biggest joys of my life. I still miss him terriblly and it has been ten years since he died.

[Movemout]

Well, I guess we invent our own mythology. I like to think that we will meet up again. I think Clancy and Bear are patiently biding their time until they can travel at our side once more.

[Movemout]

Sorry to hear about Willie. They are just children in all the meaningful ways.

[backhoe]

Well, I guess we invent our own mythology

Yes, we do-- within each person is a largely self-written script where we are our own God and Devil, creator and destroyer of Worlds, all overlaid by the Archtypes that are hard-wired into our being-ness, and the things we have experienced as we go through life. It is pity life isn't issued to us with some kind of operating manual- you have to make it up as you go along.

Let us hope our friends, human and others, wait for us on the other side of life.

[martin_fierro]

May God rest Bear -- and Abelard, another one of the "Best Dogs Ever."

[backhoe]

I still miss him terriblly

I *do* know what you mean, and it's true of anyone you have lost- you finally reach a point where ( and it is never OK, not truly ) you are as good as you are going to get... and something will come out of left field, and remind you, and just knock you down all over again.

[Movemout]

Yours is a most amazing answer. It is a concise description of what I believe is true. We do make it up as we go along. And since that is true, what we make up says a lot about us.

[kattracks]

A beautiful tribute to a beautiful friend. I too hope to meet my sweet gentle *Baby* in a better place.

[Movemout]

Beautiful looking dog. Abelard is an unusual name. Where did it come from?

[Ditter]

Condolences on the loss of your friend. Too soon gone. We always have 3 to 5 friends around us at all times, for companionship & because if one passes we have the others to console us. Good luck on finding a new friend soon.

[Movemout]

Thanks kattracks. You're a star in my book.

[Movemout]

We have two more dogs and two cats. And then there is that rabbit. The ones left behind seem to know what has happened. I love them all. My daughter should apply for a zoo license.

[martin_fierro]

Abelard is an unusual name. Where did it come from?

Heh! Now there's an understatement! <|:)~

Mom named them (there were two - Abelard I & II) after tragic lovers Abelard & Heloise (go figure -- we gave her lots of grief over the name). I still love and miss 'em both.

[Movemout]

Shakespearian drama at its peak. Mourning a dog's passing has its twists and turns.

[OldFriend]

We had a wonderful cat named Bear.......he saved my life one time! Sorry for your loss!

[Movemout]

A cat named Bear! Will wonders never cease. I named my dog Bear because he ran like a bear. He wasn't very fast but he didn't run like other dogs.

I've got to go earn some pesos. Thanks in advance to all who reply to this thread on the passing of Bear. He was a good little buddy.