A Montana woods is a pretty exciting place for a guy just off the ‘plane from ‘Jersey :)!

Silly squirrels!

Mountains and deer and turkeys.

Places to go and things to see.

Bear is doing very well. He does get very excited about deer and squirrels, but you can see here that he is on a loose lead even watching the deer. I’m working on getting him to “give me his eyes” even in the midst of something exciting going on. If we are ever to go off leash, I need for him to listen and trust me enough to obey a command.

Bear is very smart. He understands everything I’ve asked of him. He’s given me a paw to trim nails, he comes when called in the house, even when he wants to do something else, he sits, he stays, he goes down and does a down stay – all happily, not robotically. He was trained with love.

There is a lot of training to be done to live here with him as I’d like and it will take awhile, but he is a joy to work, play and just be with.

Loving Bear does ease the grief for Karl in some ways and in other ways, it makes it more intense. Sometimes a mannerism that is so like Karl brings tears. Sometimes it is just doing things with a dog that is not Karl, a dog that requires that I change how I do things. And that brought back memories of the same thing when Karl was a puppy and it required that I changed how I had done things with Zack. It is all good and all part of the process. We learn to live with loss but there is always someone, some dog, some cat missing. We ultimately feel more joy in memory than in sadness but certain things can trigger sorrow as well.

As I experience more, I’ve learned to be ok with those times of sorrow, to notice and think about them and then go on. The more I’m in the woods with Bear, the more I feel the joy of Karl and of a new way of doing things.

Bear.

Lookout Pass on the MT/ID border.

Found the toy box.

The chair…

…so comfy!

Squirrels!!!

I’ll elaborate and hopefully photos, but we are all home. Bear got so excited when we pulled in and I think is on sensory overload. But he seemed to know this was the place. He is so excited and badly wants to see everything so all I can do to manage that at the moment, hence no photos. We’ll get there :)! It has not even been 36 hours since he flew 2500 miles, met Bob and I, stayed in and travelled 230 miles in a motorhome past cows and horses (very exciting).

I know he is still tired. He wanted to sleep on the way home, but although he rode quietly, looking out now and then, he didn’t really sleep until we were almost home. There is about 50 miles of narrow 2 lane that is up and down and curvy…usually someone throws up…no one did but he was licking his lips like he was a bit naseous.

That’s it for tonight…Unloading and settling in to do, a work day tomorrow. I know you are all wanting to know and see – I’ll do my best but the priority is for all of us to get settled….and for Bob and Bear to be able to be in the same room :)!

Oh…I do want to mention that Bear has been loved well these last weeks since his person, George, died. And he was loved particularly well this last week with Sherry, her children and her neighbors. They wanted to keep him but just not the situation that would allow that. All the love that he has received these last weeks AND with George have gone a long way, I know, to allowing him to make this current transition and be so relaxed. He is a wonderful, loving dog and I feel priviledged to now be his family.

Bear didn’t see this view…this was on my way yesterday morning. It was a beautiful day. It looks a bit hazy as it was very windy and even though we’ve had plenty of moisture, there was a lot of dust in the air. BUT, the wind was from the ENE which gave both Wild Thing and Bear’s aircraft hefty tailwinds. Bear’s flight arrived a half hour early from Minneapolis!

I had been watching flight status and Bear’s specific tracking info all day on my phone so had all current info.

When they brought out the crate…2 people and I got the door :)! – Bear was curious and excited but not anxious in any way. When I said his name he smiled and started tapping the door. I fumbled with the latches and getting a collar but he was patient. Once out it was kisses and smiles and looking out the window and let’s go! So we did.

Bear and Bob had a few choice words for each other but Bob DID start it and carried on the hissing so he got some crate time of his own while I got situated. I moved the motorhome nearer the terminal in a temporary spot so I could retrieve Bear’s crate. Bear waited in the driver’s seat for me – no barking, just quietly waited. An excellent start and much more than I expected considering he’d been in a crate for 12 hours on 2 airplanes.

Once the crate was dismantled and stored we left the airport and drove 20 miles toward home to an RV park I’d spotted. Bear rode where you see him above – quiet…sometimes standing to look out or give me a kiss but seemingly unconcerned about the new mode of transportation and sounds.

We took a long walk around the rv park shortly after arriving as it was getting dark.

After our walk, I put Bear in his crate for a bit and let Bob out to see how things worked in reverse. Bear was fine, Bob was still hissing. But you can see how big that Giant crate is as well as how much room Bear had.

Later as I was considering sleeping arrangements, the crate came in handy as I was able to block the door to the bed/bath area so I didn’t have to worry about Bob and Bear annoying one another and we could all hear and see each other.

As I was fixing my very late supper…10:30 my time, Bear went to sleep on the “living room” floor. And I do mean asleep. He did not move or flick an eye – he was out…the day finally caught up with him. Shortly after, it caught up with Bob and I as well and lights went out shortly after 11:00 p.m. which is usually middle of the night for me.

All slept well and quitely and even this morning, Bear has not asked to go out and except for rolling over for a stomach rub and dispensing a few kisses…

…he made himself comfortable for a little more shut-eye and I got to have my coffee :)!!

Meanwhile, a kind of truce prevails. Bob IS going to ride home in the bedroom/bath area with Bear up front, but no one needs to be crated and there are signs that all parties will accept the others as family in not too long…some more grudgingly than others.

Bear arrived at Spokane to me about 7:30 Pacific Time. I got many kisses – love at first sight for both of us. More later. It is 10:30 my time, 12:30 a.m. Bear’s time – we’ve all had a very long day but are happy to be together.

We’re parked for the night at a campground about 20 miles east of Spokane and will head for the little house in the woods in the morning.

Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragment.

With love,
Ann, Bob and Bear

No, I’m not talking about a highway patrol helicopter…

This is Bear. He is currently flying from Newark, New Jersey to Spokane, Washington, where Bob and I will pick him up this evening. He is a 6 1/2 year old Karelian Beardog whose owner died very suddenly. George was only 48 and Bear was his love and the center of his life.

The whole story…

Two weeks ago, I sent a deposit for an English Shepherd puppy that I planned to pick up in OR on June 1. At the end of last week, I was suddenly uncomfortable…not ready, too much money and effort and I was so tired and just not ready. I cancelled.

My plan was to spend some time at my local humane society and just be around other dogs to get back the feeling that I could love another. I was on the Humane Society web site which connects to Petfinders and I did a search for Karelian Bear Dogs…just to see. One immediately caught my eye and then I read his, Bear’s, story. Bear’s owner had suddenly passed away and Bear needed a home where he was the center of attention. But Bear was in New Jersey…impossible… Bear stayed on my mind all weekend and I finally phoned on Monday afternoon and left a message with my own story. I was called back nearly immediately. The breeder who sold Bear to owner, George, had Bear back – it is her policy that any dog she sells or places comes back to her vs a shelter if there is any problem. In addition to the KBD breeding, Sherry fosters and places homeless dogs.

I learned that George had died suddenly. His sister and another friend had wanted Bear but both had dogs and kids and it wasn’t working. Bear arrived at the breeder’s last Saturday. She had received a lot of calls, but no one who called had ever had a Karelian and all worked and Bear would have been home alone. Sherry said when she heard my message, she just knew I was the one for Bear.

It was an intense week as we worked to arrange transport for Bear. It is just short of 2500 miles from where he was to my home. We tried ground options but ultimately it looked like air was the best bet. A special thank you to about 15 of Delta Cargo’s people who I spoke to through the week. Every single one of them was kind, professional, knowledgeable and they listened carefully as I asked questions. Bear must travel in a Giant kennel – it cannot go on every plane so trying to find both a humane flight schedule and one that both Sherry and I could meet was a challenge.

And the kennel…ultimately I had to have it overnighted from Amazon as there just was not one to be had in Newark vicinity.

Another special thanks to a young man in parking management at Spokane International Airport. I phoned parking to see if there was any airport parking that would accomodate Wild Thing. With the evening arrival, I would need to stay over and when I totaled Jeep gas plus a motel I was close to motorhome gas expense. The young man I spoke to gave me detailed information on not only where I could park but also some options for retrieving the giant kennel.

Kindness from strangers… I received so much and it means so very much to me. And the incredible support from friends and family – this would not have come together without them.

I hope that Karl and George are watching over all and however things work… that maybe they are together waiting for all of us. And I believe that my sudden uncomfortable-ness with getting one of the puppies was because I was supposed to have Bear.

Then, 2 days ago, the bear biologist from Fish, Wildlife and Parks…from whom I got Karl, phoned, having heard of Karl’s passing. He has a sister of Karl’s, named Ursa which is Russian for “bear”. She is well and is both his work partner and best friend! He laughed with delight when he heard I was to have a male “Bear” and hopefully we’ll cross paths this summer and let the 2 “Bears” meet. I will never forget the kindness of he and his wife 10 years ago. They welcomed me in their home, listened to my stories of life with Zack, the Karelian cross I lost to lymphoma, looked at photos and then let me spend time with the puppies who were barely 5 weeks old…and I met Karl.

It has been a week. If you are reading this before Bear has arrived, and are so inclined, please pray for a safe and comfortable journey for him with no fear or anxiety. …and maybe a prayer for Bob as well…I’ve spoken to him but I believe he is under the impression that he will be an “only”…it might be a rude awakening :)!

***AND prayers for Sherry’s 6 year old daughter, Danielle, who had a bad accident on her bicycle and is recovering at home after an afternoon and evening in the E.R. Thank you to Sherry who in the midst of that, arranged for neighbors to get Bear to the airport and thank you to those neighbors who helped care for Bear this week and then sent him on his way to his forever home with me.