MY DOG BEAR

When we closed on our house in 1992 I agreed not to live there for eight months. Instead, I agreed to stay in the basement of my future in-laws’ 1940’s style bungalow. This may sound peculiar, but my fiancee convinced me that since I didn’t have any furniture it would be best if she occupied our dwelling first. So I helped her move out, or in, depending on which perspective you take.

Next came the dog—a British Black Labrador named Bear—she rescued him from an employee at a Detroit car wash who was moving into an apartment downriver. Basically, she talked him into letting her have the dog for free. She explained to me that since she was living by herself it was absolutely necessary she have a guard dog. Being an animal lover myself, I accepted her decision. "Besides," she said, "he comes with pedigree documentation."

These so-called papers, which were delivered at a later date due to promised visitation rights, came in an over-sized official looking envelope, and I suspect the previous owner left out the history of Bear’s lineage because my fiancee didn’t fork over any cash, three hundred bucks to be exact. The only papers I saw were from a veterinarian documenting the standard canine shots and an emergency surgery to remove a nail from his rectum. Apparently he ate a nail when he was a pup and it wound its way through his colon before puncturing the lining where the sun does shine.

For better or for worse, Bear became our guard dog. However, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that all you needed was a garden hose to shoo him away. During our honeymoon and thereafter (you have to give Bear credit for his determination) I would repeatedly kick his seventy-five pound frame off the foot of our bed. Not anymore. He is approaching sixteen, his hips are shot, and we have to buy prescription dog food for him to eat. In other words, he is now the king of the castle and can do as he damn well pleases.

Today’s picture is of my dog Bear. Lastly, I’d like to recommend Bonnie Jo Campbell’s short story "My Dog Roscoe" which first appeared in the Animals in America issue of Witness magazine. The story is easily accessible at the Ludington Writers Website under the Michigan Writers Link.