Falling For (more like due to ...) Bear

If you visit Pure Florida much, you know about my zany dog, "Bear".
He's a hundred pounds of thickly muscled sweetness with a wacky, playful, Labradattitude that keeps us constantly laughing.

Should you knock on our door, he will sound ferocious ... and look pretty scary too as he peers from the living room window at the knocker, his paws up on the windowsill, his breath fogging the window.

Big, ain't he? ... and SO strong!

He has his weaknesses, although he has just about kicked the yardbird habit. It's been months since anyone had to chase him around the yard while the live chicken in his mouth screamed for help.

He still wants to give chase, like a reformed smoker, who inhales a passing stranger's tobacco scent. He still wants it, but he's able to control the urge ... mostly.

I understand the urge to put chicken in your mouth ... I give in to that one pretty often.

Other Bear urges are harder to figure out ... like Tuesday night ...

Tuesday evening, the house was just a little chilly, and rather than bump up the heat, I grabbed a comforter blanket out of the laundry room and wrapped up in it while I watched the "Family Guy" marathon.
Bear knows he is not allowed up on the furniture and this is one rule he normally does not break ... unlike the "don't steal dirty clothes from the laundry and dive under the bed" rule, which he breaks constantly.

So, it was pretty odd when he kept trying to climb up in the chair with me. I would tell him NO, and push down on his massive head, but he only retreated for a moment before trying to ooze up into my lap again.

Dog furniture oozing is not unusual mind you, I'm pretty sure all Labs do this, but the point of THIS story is that Bear doesn't usually try and get up on any furniture.

Turns out, he's good at it though ...

First, a head resting on your leg.
Then a paw.
Then another paw ... followed by a massive chest and then umph! He's in your lap ... all 100 pounds of him.

Which I loved actually, but I was afraid Mrs. FC would walk in and demand to know why I was encouraging the dog to get on the furniture.

I already had my plea bargaining planned out ... " He's not really on the furniture, he's on this old blanket and it's on me, so he's not even touching the furniture."

Foolproof.

He was so persistent and it was so out of character for him. It had me pondering his reasoning as I tried to see over his giant head to the TV.
When I got up to grab some more ice tea (unsweetened of course) he hopped off, but immediately wanted up again when I returned.

I could not figure out what had gotten in to him, and then it hit me.

The comforter I had grabbed and wrapped around me was HIS comforter. Normally it lay across his bed in Junior's room, but it had just gone through the wash.

I was using HIS blanket.

Bear wanted his blankie and was determined to get it.

We go for a walk/run around the property every evening. This is normally fun, and not hazardous in any way. Normally ...

Last night, I was running later than usual and when I got home, Bear was more than ready for his walk. I clipped on the 25 foot leash we use for walks and we stepped out onto the porch. As I fiddled with the leash, trying to untangle a couple of loops, Bear dashed down the steps and was about ten feet away before I could yell, " No Bear, No!"

My left foot was raised, just about to step off the porch to the top step when Bear began stripping the coils of leash from my hand like a tarpon who just felt the hook.

I watched in just a little bit of horror as the last coil of leash went right around my left ankle and the leash went taught as Bear headed for the woods.

My legs jerked out from under me, I went horizontal for a moment, staring straight up into the sky, and then WHAM!

I slammed down to the ground, my butt on the pavement and the rest of my parts splayed across 3 rows of steps.

Ouch.

Bear came back immediately to see what I had found to roll in.


My elbows hurt, and my back hurt for the rest of the evening, but no sign of either today, so no harm done.



Bear apologized.

I told him it was no big deal.

Who could be mad at a face like that?