Imagine: a golden named Bear lovingly nicknamed Mister Bear Squash You All Flat after a children’s story about a bear who sits on other animals’ houses and squashes them flat. So, it is with Cindy and Michael’s adopted golden who snuggles down on them and squashes them into the sofa until they’re flat!
Tragically, before adopting Bear, the family had lost three of their four dogs to cancer within five months of each other, and both they and their remaining golden, Sarah, were desperately lonely. But the moment Bear entered their home on what happened to be his fourth birthday, they felt that they were the ones receiving a gift.
Bear and Sarah took to each other right away and quickly became best friends while the family’s hearts were once again filled with love and laughter. As a unit, they helped teach manners to their foster dog, Biscuit, and now look forward to having Bear help with even more fosters.
Especially endearing to his family are the many wrinkles that make Bear’s face so very expressive. He can look at them without moving his head and let them know what he’s thinking … like “What? You talkin’ to me?” or “I’m not moving, so go away” or “I’m asleep.” He also loves watching TV, barking cheerfully at the other dogs and animals, including giraffes and elephants. And when they go on walks, Bear carries his own leash. He even “walked” Biscuit by holding Biscuit’s leash – doing an excellent job of leash control.
Definitely a dedicated Velcro dog, Bear’s list of loves includes going for rides to the grocery store to people watch, taking walks in the park, playing ball with his family and Sarah, being walked in state parks and going camping. But his true passion is squashing his family on the sofa to be as close to them as paws-ible!
Now five years old, Bear is happy and healthy, and delights in the fact that he’s “trained” his family to do his bidding. And since he seldom gives up his favorite ball, the family jokes that they may not have a leader of the pack, but they do have a leader of the sofa and ball. He also keeps them amused. Examples: the first time he watched a dog run across the TV screen and disappear, he looked behind the TV to see where it had gone. He’s always looking out the window and leaving his “nose art” all over the glass. When he sees them coming, he barks and gets Sarah to bark as well to “announce” them, greeting them with effusive tail wags and smiles.
Bear not only completed his obedience classes and passed his Canine Good Citizenship, he also earned his Novice Trick Dog Title. But his greatest honor, according to his mom, was having his picture chosen to be in the GRRMF 2022 calendar for the month of May.
The icing on the cake? May of 2022 marks Cindy and Michael’s 50th anniversary, affording them the pleasure of seeing their beloved Bear’s picture for the entire month.
