Our beautiful dog Bear has gone to reunite with kyle

Bear’s history

Bear was our treasured dog from May 12th, 2010 until his end on January 10th, 2025. He was Kyle’s pick from the litter because of an immediate and strong connection. At the breeder’s house we referred to him as “Greenie” because he was identified among his siblings by a green bandana. Soon he would be named Bear. From the moment Bear came home until Kyle’s unfortunate passing, Bear and Kyle were inseparable. Kyle house trained him, slept with him, loved on him and taught Bear many tricks over the years. Tricks like walking on his back legs, rolling over for a treat, fetching his leash, shaking paws but knowing the right from the left, and teaching him to speak in the cutesy way dogs can vocalize. Something between a bark and a howl. They lived apart a few years when Kyle left for the University of Arkansas. But Kyle would frequently Text Sherry just one or two words like - Bear -or - Bear pictures. So we would oblige. Occasionally, we would send a video made specificly for Bear to lift Kyle’s spirits. All of that was sometimes not enough so Sherry would take Bear to UArk for a visit. One time we tried leaving Bear but someone in the apartment complex noticed Bear and turned Kyle in. He had to move to the Staybridge Suites next door until we could return to get Bear. Bear was a marvelous family member. He was lovable and kind to strangers and family alike, but he was a godsend for Kyle. Once, Gerald offered a spring break adventure trip to the Amazon, but Kyle turned it down because he wanted to spend time with Bear.

After Kyle’s passing Bear lived another 7 1/2 years. He was in amazingly good shape as he aged until he lost strength in his hind legs and collapsed in April 2023. Because Pensacola is blessed with a talented dog neurosurgeon at the very Pet Emergency room we took him to, Dr, Nani was able to see a slipped disk compressing the spinal cord on MRI and urgently operated on him. Amazingly, this restored partial function to Bear. He could no longer jump into your lap and he had progressively more difficulty with the hind legs slipping out from under him on tile surfaces, but he loved us with every ounce of his being. Then on January 2nd, Bear collapsed and could not walk. This time the MRI did not show anything surgically correctable. Concurrently, his kidneys and liver were failing. He came home on January 4th, shivering and unable to stand. The next day Bear found his inner strength and regained function enough to walk around the house and Stalk us for food droppings in the kitchen. Sadly, he quickly declined and the gut wrenching decision to let Bear reunite with Kyle was made. So on Friday, January 10th we bathed Bear, put Kyle’s favorite cologne on him (Ambergris), put a new green bandana on and cried as we watched him sit by the stove as David cooked him some scrambled eggs (one of his favorites). We cried some more as he licked them up in no time (his appetite was never affected!). Then the long drive to Davis Animal Hospital where at 5 pm the sweet staff and Veterinarian helped Bear pass to the other side in peace and comfort. We are heartbroken but find a spiritual happiness that at long last two of this family’s greatest loves are reunited.

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