In loving memory of Bear a very special and resilient dog who touched all of our lives.

When we first arrived at Animal Haven Acres, we immediately focused on getting to know all of the dogs. Each one has a unique and endearing personality, making it very easy to love all of them. We noticed right away that Bear, although giving us signals he wanted attention, did not want anyone physically close to him. We watched him for a bit, taking note of the large tumor between his back legs, and wondering if that was the reason for the mixed signals. But soon after our arrival, Bear started having spontaneous bleedings from his mouth. We called the vet immediately and brought Bear in for a checkup. We were told not to worry, that a bad mouth in a dog his age was not unusual. The bleeding would stop on its own. The tumor may be a nuisance, but it was not a threat to Bear’s life. It would be considered risky for a dog Bear’s age to go through any surgery. We brought Bear home.

We continued to watch him. He had a developed a quirky high-stepping walk to accommodate the large tumor (the size of a cantaloupe), and was having trouble eating because of the condition of his teeth. We decided to call Dr. Mary Stankovics, with whom we were comfortable and trusted. She agreed to check Bear to determine if he was healthy enough to withstand an operation. We packed up Bear and made the three-hour drive to Pleasant Valley Veterinary Services in Washington, New Jersey. It turned out to be one of the best spent three hour trips we ever made!

After seeing Bear, Mary broke his health issues down into three categories:

• His mouth was in terrible shape

• The tumor between his legs had to be very uncomfortable

• The x-rays showed a large mass on his spleen.

Still, Mary gave us hope and even more importantly, a plan. She marveled at Bear’s blood work-up, exclaiming that we should all have blood like Bear’s. We spoke about all possible outcomes and consulted with our Executive Director Marcello Forte.

Everyone agreed that Bear deserved to live pain-free and comfortably for whatever time he had left with us. He would have the dental surgery and the tumor removed. The rest was up to Bear. How he bounced back from surgery would tell us if he could withstand the removal of the spleen and attached mass. At the very least, his mouth would not hurt anymore, he would be able to eat and walking would not longer be a chore.

Mary made the arrangements and very early on a bright Saturday morning, we found ourselves heading back to Pleasant Valley. We were nervous for Bear, but were confident we had chosen a path that would benefit him greatly.

Bear’s recuperation was nothing short of miraculous. He let us know unmistakably that he was strong, and he had no plans of leaving us yet. And so, two weeks later, we were back in surgery again going after the mass on his spleen.

We took Bear home and waited for the results of the biopsy. A week later, they were in. Bear was cancer free! To say we were excited is an understatement. Bear is pure inspiration to everyone who meets him. All are taken with the stories of his younger days, living on the streets of Flushing with a canine companion (Brownstreet) and the man that loved them.