Although he was sad to leave his foster family and foster dog pals, Bear seemed to take to us right away. Especially me (Doris) — he follows me all the time – the bathroom, the closet, the kitchen sink — everywhere! The first week he was here it was difficult for me to get out of the house; he would sense when I was leaving and beat me to the door. We quickly learned to keep the big garage door shut so he couldn’t escape to the outside!
Bear likes to dig and curl up in his “foxhole”. He first dug a small hole at the end of the deck so we thought we would make it more comfortable for him and line it with landscape fabric. Well – he did not care for that and dug a new hole in the ferns against the house. The hole has gotten deeper and deeper and now you can hardly see him when he is in it. He likes the smell of the dirt and the security of the foxhole on sunny afternoons.
Bear loves to be outside, except in the dark. When it is dark, we have to take him out the door on a leash but can let him off once his feet touch the deck and he gets all brave. He always beelines it back in after a little exploring and his business is finished!
Bear has some anxious moments, gets frightened and just shakes. He is frightened of the wind, dark, flashing lights and thunder. He has episodes about once a week when he is just sure that he has heard something, usually late at night. The first time it happened, Corky was out of town, and Bear jumped in the bed. Once he calmed down he slept tight to me. So, we bought him a doggie bed, which he doesn’t care about, but has become quite fond of the middle of the king size bed…..and the sofa!
Bear really likes resident dog Carson, and Carson has taken to him, – and his toys. Foster parents Sue and John brought Bear with a whole bag of toys. Sue hadn’t even gotten the first toy out of the bag when Carson stole it. He has since carried all of Bear’s toys throughout the house. Bear shares very well but still has some favorites.
Bear also likes his cousin dog Maggie. She lives in the house behind us and shares our back yard. Bear likes being part of the pack. Any time one of them “sounds the alert” all three of them tear out the door and jump off the deck to torment the squirrels and rabbits.
Bear has a beautiful coat and came to us well-groomed. He loves to be brushed, but it is hard to keep those white paws white!
Bear has fit right into our family and each day seems a bit more at peace. We know he has a long way to go and we are glad the storm season is over so he will have an easier time to continue to adjust without some of nature’s distractions.
