Bear 08-513

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Bear arrived at his new foster home in Cedar Rapids this afternoon. He came from a nice family in Iowa who was very sad to give him up but wanted him to live with a family who could give him more time. He was very well cared for and much loved.

Bear is a drop-dead gorgeous 7 month old PB golden puppy. He is dark red with a blocky head. He is very calm for a puppy and well-behaved - also housebroken!! He has beautiful, soft fur.

Bear was born without his left front paw. But that doesn't stop him from living the golden life!! He walks and runs, goes up and down the stairs and gets around fine. We will try and take a video of him to show all of this. Bear will need daily exercise just like any golden. We will update you more as we get to know him. He will need to be neutered before he finds his forever family.... are you that special one? Contact placement if you are interested.

 

At a Glance #08-513

Golden Retriever Born: March 2008
Male 65 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Bear arrived at his new foster home in Cedar Rapids this afternoon. He came from a nice family in Iowa who was very sad to give him up but wanted him to live with a family who could give him more time. He was very well cared for and much loved.

Bear is a drop-dead gorgeous 7 month old PB golden puppy. He is dark red with a blocky head. He is very calm for a puppy and well-behaved - also housebroken!! He has beautiful, soft fur.

Bear was born without his left front paw. But that doesn't stop him from living the golden life!! He walks and runs, goes up and down the stairs and gets around fine. We will try and take a video of him to show all of this. Bear will need daily exercise just like any golden. We will update you more as we get to know him. He will need to be neutered before he finds his forever family.... are you that special one? Contact placement if you are interested.

 

Updates

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

 

Dear RAGOM:

It has taken me a week to be able to write this, but I will try. Our Bear (08-513) died on Nov.7th of kidney failure, something that came on quickly and took him just as quickly from us. I had updated you last that we were in the process of obtaining a prosthetic for Bear, as he was born with a missing front paw. Orthopets, of Denver, Colorado, did a beautiful job of creating a prosthetic for him, and he was doing quite well wearing it. Recently, Bear was losing weight and getting pretty finicky about eating, as well as not keeping food down. A blood test was taken, and it showed that he had advanced kidney disease, something that was a total surprise to all of us. On November 4th, our vet checked him in to the clinic in order to keep him on IVs. During the next couple of days, we visited him and prayed that he would begin to improve. On Friday the 7th, our son and his wife drove over to visit him (they live a couple of hours away). That afternoon, he began to eat and also drink water on his own, and at the end of the day, our vet suggested we take him home and see how he did over the weekend. We did bring him home, gave him a nice bath and brushing, and had a chance to hold him for a bit. I tried to give him his kidney medication, and even hid it in peanut butter, but he carefully licked all peanut butter around the pill, leaving it on the spoon. Our son and his wife left around 8:15PM, and at about 11:15PM we took him outside. My husband had built a ramp for our front steps so that he could navigate them more easily, and although a bit wobbly, he walked down under his own power and did what he needed to do. Then he turned around and laid down on the grass. He never got up again. We carried him into the house and laid him down on his bed, and he was gone from us forever within 20 minutes.

I firmly believe that Bear did what he needed to do to get home again. He had a last chance to lie on our back 4-season porch, occasionally raising his head to look out the window at the view and the wildlife. He was absolutely the best dog that anyone could ever have, and he will be missed forever. I have attached a couple of recent pictures that were taken of him.

Thank you for the opportunity to have had Bear in our lives.

Sincerely,
Jane and Dave R

 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Dear RAGOM:

We thought that you might enjoy having an update to Bear, the Golden we adopted back in early 2009. If you remember, he had been born without a front left paw, and enjoyed bell-ringing for the Salvation Army with his foster dad, Peter. He is an absolutely beautiful, wonderful dog who behaves well and is dearly loved by his adoptive family. Upon adoption, our local vet had suggested keeping an eye on him for health concerns that might develop as he grew to his full size due to the shorter limb. This past summer, Bear began to show signs of arthritis in his good front leg, and the conversation of finding a prosthetic for Bear began.

We discovered a company called Orthopets, located in Denver, Colorado. The founders are originally from a town about 10 miles from where we live. Our first step was to send them pictures of Bear so that they could see the deformity and determine whether or not they felt he would be a good candiate for their services. About two weeks ago, we received the good news that indeed they felt he could be helped! We sent for the casting kit that is required, and delivered it to our veterinarian. He is now reviewing the materials and the next step will be to have the cast made of Bear's front left leg.

Once the cast is submitted to Orthopets, the construction of the removable prosthesis will begin. We will continue to update you as the process unfolds! Following is an early picture of Bear, followed by one we took recently of him.

Sincerely,
Jane R.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Bear is now a golden resident of the state of Wisconsin.  He was adopted this weekend by the R family who is going to spoil him rotten.  They are also committed to investigating a prosthetic foot for him which will be great if it is a possibility. 

He will live in a nice, big house with a large wooded lot and a four seasons porch from which he can watch the wildlife all day long. 

Congrats to Mr. Bear and his new family. 

Foster mom is especially happy since she gets to be his new "aunt" as Bear's new mom is her sister!!

 

Monday, December 8, 2008

Bear continues to spread good cheer to all around him.  Here he is helping foster dad ringing the Salvation Army bell.  Foster dad brought along some things so he could be comfy!!

 

Monday, November 17, 2008

Bear continues to do very well.. he is the easiest and calmest foster we have ever had... he takes a little longer to get up than most but gets around just fine..he would be great with young kids as he cannot knock them down (or countersurf!!)  and has a gentle mouth and super loving nature.. he just loves being where the people are as most goldens do...
We do have video clips on Bear and info regarding prosthetic devices if anyone is interested.. he does fine the way he is though....
We think he would be an awesome therapy dog...
Here is Bear resting on our steps, guarding the house.

Like I said before, he is a GORGEOUS dog...

 

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Bear continues to charm everyone he meets.  He has been determined to be a good candidate for a prosthetic foot so we are hoping that will be in his future.
He is going for daily walks with foster sis Maren and enjoying the weather, until the snowy day we had today!
Here he is relaxing on the couch with Maren and his feline friends!!

 

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Bear has recovered nicely from his neutering. He is back home being comfy with his foster sibs and foster family and being the very good-natured dog he is. We are looking into prosthetic devices for him.. more as this develops...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Bear came back from the vet today after an overnight stay. His recovery is complete, but his manhood is not. Bear is now up to date on all shots, microchipped, neutered, and also received a very nice manicure while at the vet

He enjoys going for walks and runs in the neighborhood. Everyone who meets him on his walks cannot resist him. What a charmer he is! He is a very handsome young lad and very well behaved for a 7-month old puppy. Yes, he did manage to find a pair of knitted winter gloves to chew on at home, but does nicely on the chew bones provided when he can find them first instead.

Bear is in the process of learning how to play with foster sister Maren, now that former foster sister Ellie Mae was adopted last weekend. He is getting lots of exercise following people in the house up and down the stairs. He loves to be around people and pets of all kinds.
Now that his neutering is complete, Bear is available to that special family who will give him the forever home that he so richly deserves... he would do best with another dog, fenced yard and perhaps, someone who is home part of the day.  He loves to be with people and loves kids of all ages also...did we mention cats???

Fostermom really loves him so hurry before she persuades FD to keep him forever!!  Please contact placement for more information... we do have video clips available to fully show you how he gets around...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

  Wow, the last 24 hours have been quite a change for me! My loving surrendering owner kissed me good-bye and off I went to either the Land of Oz or the Twilight Zone. Things are different now.
First, a small herd of dogs greeted me at my new foster home. There were a couple girls (foster/adopted sister Maren and foster sister Ellie Mae (#08-461) there that looked a lot like me and one small other dog that must be from another planet (F/M and F/D later explained that dog was a shih tzu). I can see why they call him that.
I thought that was a lot of new creatures to meet on first arrival, but when I went inside the house there were four more! A couple of them were bigger than the little dog I met outside. They are called "cats", and we all got along just fine.
Because it was my first night here, I slept in a kennel inside the house. Everything was very quiet. This morning I went to the vet. He was very nice, except for when he poked me with some needles, but it really did not bother me. F/D tells me I am now up-to-date on all my shots, my blood tests were perfect, and I received a VERY clean bill of health (my S/O took VERY good care of me!).
I can hardly wait till next Monday!! F/D says I will be a "new man" when I go back to the vet again. Shucks, I am only 7 months old and I am already becoming a new man.

F/D didn't do too well today in trying to rig up something for the bottom third of my front leg so it would be as long as the other front leg. Maybe he will take me shopping with him so we can look at possibilities together.
The vet said that everything is just fine as it is, but F/D would like to be able to take me on a little farther and faster walk than what I am used to. I bet he will come up with something!
Bow-wow for now. Bear (Barry)