Bear

This is Bear’s story. He was a young stray dog who ended up in a kill-shelter, days away from death. But thanks to a network of resourceful and hardworking animal rescue organizations, volunteers and one wonderful family, Bear’s life was spared the fate of millions of other dogs. His new life started the day Celeste, a shelter volunteer, spotted the fuzzy little black dog and fell in love with him. Celeste made it her business to find a sanctuary for Bear. She tried and tried and cried and cried over his fate because she could find none to adopt him nor a rescue with room to take him and time was running out. Luckily for Bear, Celeste reached out to Libby, a Tails of Hope volunteer, to help with Bear’s placement. Libby knew of a foster family in Virginia who could take Bear. To celebrate, Celeste and Bear went for a long walk and then headed for McDonalds. A few days later, Celeste, Bear and over 22 other dogs made the five-hour trip from Ohio to Maryland. Bear, of course, rode shotgun in the front seat. When the foster family picked up Bear, he was naturally scared. But, accepting his fate and putting his trust in complete strangers, he headed into the next chapter of his new life (which included an excursion to Petsmart to pick out some toys and treats). Not long after settling into his foster home, a representative from the English Shepherd Rescue saw Bear’s picture on the Tails of Hope website and contacted Libby. Seems Bear just might be more of a prince than a pauper! Not that a registered English Shepherd pedigree could make anyone love Bear more, but it did add a certain cache. Apparently, over the next couple of days, lots of people were checking out the Tails of Hope website; including Dennis and Colette who live all the way in upstate New York. A while back, Dennis and Colette had lost their beloved English Shepherd, Catfish. Though no dog could replace Catfish, the couple thought they might have just a little more love left over for a new best friend. Colette and Dennis made the four-hour trek to meet Bear for the first time. Bear’s fosters were apprehensive. Fortunately, Colette and Dennis were smitten by the little snuggle bug! Now, Bear is safe. His new family reports that, “Bear is arc’n and spark’n.” He spends his days chasing balls, herding his owners toward the biscuit jar, attacking the cattails in the pond and shredding the fluff allover. Later, he sneaks a snooze on their bed. On the weekends, Bear goes hiking, canoeing and visiting with his new family. Recently, he even participated in a dog parade. Bear’s last chapter would have had a much different ending had it not been for all of the people in the rescue cycle. Take just one of those folks away and Bear would be just a memory, a number in a shelter logbook. (Sadly, the week Bear headed to his new foster home, over 30 animals were euthanized at Bear’s shelter). So, if you have ever considered, even for a minute becoming involved in animal rescue, Bear urges you to act on that impulse. Tails of Hope makes it easy for families to fit a foster into their lives. The rescue pays for all medical care and offers plenty of advice, training and support. You will certainly gain far more than you give. The work is rewarding and energizing and along the way you will discover a network of life enriching friends. Maybe the most amazing chapter is yet to come. A certified evaluator determined that Bear would be an exceptional therapy dog candidate. Weeks ago, Bear was someone’s cast-off and now he’s on the verge of a new career, a ray of tail wagging sunshine in the life of a senior or a bedridden child.