"Bear" in Japanese

Kuma

There are some moments in life that will forever remain in our thoughts. 

This is a picture of Kuma. A big, beautiful Samoyed; goofy, funny, strong, kind, clumsy, messy, full of mischief, a chewer of all things, lovable, determined, playful, gentle. He joined our family in January of 2007, while his brother went to my daughter's house in Maryland. As a puppy, I would take him to work with me at the small gift store I worked at not far from here. He would sleep in a little pop-up kennel, and I would take him out for short walks in the nearby park. People would hear him squeaking his little toys and be surprised to see him put his paws on the counter to greet them. Sometimes we would sit on the bench in front of the store and watch the people go by. But then I changed jobs, and no longer took him to work with me. Probably a good thing because he was way too big by then. 

Kuma was trouble. He pulled terribly while he walked you. He chewed up toys, and bones and chair legs and corners of walls. He barked loud. He never laid still to be brushed. He ate driveway stone and grass. He had to be on a leash always, and took forever to come home if he ever did get away. You could walk him up and down the driveway trying to get him to go pee, and somehow I swear he held it just to be stubborn and get an extra 5 minutes outside. 

But Kuma was fun. He loved to come up and put his big head in your lap and wait for you to rub his nose. He would roll over so you could scratch behind his ears and on his back. He played catch with his ball and loved playing fetch. He was overjoyed with every first snow. He would dive head first into the fresh snowbanks and eat as much of it as he possibly could. It took forever to walk him because he had to sample each new snow pile. He never bit or nipped, or got tired of a child being around him. He tenderly took treats from their tiny hands and never once got a finger by mistake. He loved his Sunday pancakes, and rides in the car. He was a good dog, and he is terribly missed.

Last Thursday we took him to the vet and they found 7 tumors had invaded his body. He hadn't really been eating at all for nearly 2 weeks. Only the oatmeal and chicken I would cook for him in the morning. Not enough to keep him going. There was nothing much they could do for him, and he wouldn't get better. He was so sick. And maybe in pain, but we wouldn't know. But he was weak, and getting weaker by the day. We sat by his side, and said goodbye and rubbed his ears and nose. He is everywhere I turn right now, and it will take some time to get used to his not being around. But he will always be loved. Run free Kuma.