Why I Loved My Old Dog, Bear
I recently listened to an interview of Ayn Rand, the famous philosopher and author of Atlas Shrugged and other famous books from the 1940s through 60s. In the interview Ayn was talking about love. She said that love is a very selfish act and not a generous or altruistic act. We love someone for who they are it is true, but that is because who they are contributes to our happiness and well being. We fall in love because the qualities of our love object compliment our own characteristics and maybe even fulfill our desire to be better in areas we may feel we are lacking. In that way they make us more whole and closer to who we want to be.
You don’t fall in love because you want to help the other person, you might help them, you might even sacrifice for them, but your not falling in love with them. You fall in love because of what someone gives back to you. It may be beauty, strength, intelligence, humor, good moral character or hopefully all of the above!
That brings me to the point of this blog.
20 years ago we adopted a Black Lab & Irish Setter mix named Bear. He was a very good dog and I loved him. He was gentle and affectionate. He would not get overly excited when people were around, he would just mind his own business and come to socialize quietly and then go take a nap. He never let other dogs bother him, when we took walks he just ignored them. If another dog approached he was friendly but he did not get super excited like a puppy and he didn’t growl and try to fight.
Bear was smallish for a lab about 65lbs but he was very strong. He was a skilled predator built to fight. He had large fangs, his jaw could open very wide. He was powerful. An impressive athlete, He could jump over fences in his prime. Hard working and determined, he would pull our boys on sleds or skis in the snow. He pulled two boys at once until he was exhausted.
We had another dog at the time named Nola who did not get along with other dogs as well. Once Nola got in a fight with another dog in the street in front of our house. Bear went to Nola’s rescue in a second. Bear quickly ended the fight with a chomp on the shoulder of the other dog. Nola just made noise but Bear took care of business. The dog’s owner was upset that his pet had been attacked by Bear. We had to pay for the stitches, but I wasn’t mad at Bear. He was protecting his sister.
Bear was very fast. It was not a rare thing to find dead squirrels in the backyard. That takes speed. Squirrels are very alert and quick. Bear was a skilled predator.
Bear wasn’t perfect. He had a personality flaw, he hated cats. That was a problem in our neighborhood. I’m sad to say Bear took out a couple of cats. We made donations to the feline society and Bear was listed in the police reports.
Bear wasn’t a rescue dog. We traded a floppy eared bunny for him. I loved Bear not because of what we did for him but because of what he did for us. He was a family member, a companion, a sentry, a playmate for our boys.
I also learned from Bear. He had solid canine qualities without some of the behavioral issues other dogs have. He was loyal, loving and fearless. He didn’t worry about consequences, he dealt with the world in the moment, the best way he could according to his judgement at that time.
I guess that’s why I really loved Bear. I admired him and saw in him qualities I felt were lacking in me. I wanted to worry less and be more spontaneous. I wanted to be able to do the right thing even if the costs were high. I wanted to be strong and courageous. I wanted to be formidable and gentle at the same time.
Bear passed away at 17 years old. I won’t forget him. He was an inspiration and I loved him.
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Bart Axelrod is a Krav Maga instructor at EP Martial Arts in East Providence RI and a paramedic in the Boston area.
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