Bear’s journey has not been easy. As a homeless dog in Texas, he wandered the streets aimlessly before finding himself on a nearby shelter’s dreaded euthanasia list. Bear seemed to have lost all hope until he received the life-changing news just in time.
The 11-year-old dog had been at the BARC animal shelter since June, but potential adopters passed him by without showing any interest. This had a negative impact on the older dog’s mental state, as he stopped lifting his head from his bed, almost as if he had lost all hope and knew time was running out. Surprisingly, he was one of 28 dogs scheduled to be euthanized that day. BARC volunteer Madeline Garvis described the dog’s personality as perfect, noting that he was calm and friendly. Despite this, it looked like the sweet older dog wasn’t going to make it out alive.
It was quite unexpected how much Bear’s behavior improved once Garvis took him out of his kennel. Garvis shared that they discovered a completely different dog, one that was eager to interact with people and loved spending time outdoors. The limited opportunities to observe dog behavior outside made Bear’s transformation even more surprising. Garvis had nothing but good things to say about Bear: he was well controlled on a leash, calm, obedient, knew basic commands like “sit” and “shake,” and tested negative for heartworm.
The adorable dog Bear won the hearts of many in a short time. Garvis was on a mission to secure Bear a loving home before he had to leave the shelter. Garvis couldn’t resist Bear’s charming eyes and expressed his adoration for him on Facebook, saying, “Those eyes are too hard to ignore, I’m in love with him!” As soon as they left the shelter, Bear’s energy seemed to rejuvenate, making him look much younger than his age.
Bear’s true character was revealed outside the shelter, and this helped him find his permanent home just an hour before he was euthanized. The rescue now enjoys the joy of living the life of his dreams filled with positivity, affection and abundance of time.