CARE BEAR
Shepherd mix / Male / Passed away April 2010
There is a line in the new Pedigree commercial which says, "If a shelter dog was human we would call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tell and stories to write." Care Bear probably had lots of those stories to tell.
He was already a grouchy, old man when he arrived at Satchel's Last Resort. He had been dumped at a local vet's office, where they simply had no time to spend with him. He lived in a kennel and continue to get more and more grouchy as time passed. The vet contacted Satchel's when no home could be found and we went and picked him up.
Care Bear never bonded with any person except Michael, his new Dad, who could get him to do anything. As time passed, he would allow other volunteers and workers to walk him, but saved his special attention for only one person. Once in a while, you could sneak a pet in, but hugs and loving were out of the question for most of the humans at the shelter.
If there was a grandpa who kept the other dogs in line, it was Care Bear. He had a certain look, which meant he meant business, and the other dogs were highly respectful of that.
Care Bear had huge brown eyes which sometimes seemed to bear the weight of the world and we often wondered what he had been like as a puppy, full of puppy playfulness and those big, brown eyes.
As Care Bear aged, he mellowed and would even allow a few hugs from others besides his Dad. It was then we realized he was losing his feistiness and age was catching up. He would even take treats from people and if he needed to go outside, he would stand at his kennel and bark, until you took him to the yard. He could care less if it was his turn or not.
He hated to take medicine and could smell a pill in any treat you might try to hide it in. We were always finding pills under his blankets and beside his bed when we cleaned his kennel. I think he secretly held them in his mouth and then spit them out after we left. I often wondered just how many he actually swallowed.
We finally had to make the decision to let him go. He was 17 years old when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge and the kennel was strangely silent.
Satchel's Last Resort was his home. We were graced by his presence and he represented all the reasons we do what we do. Rest easy now Care Bear. You will be missed.
