This is what happens when an animal trainer finds a bear cub.
(Today’s post has a number of very beautiful photographs. However, it is much better presented to you, dear reader, as a standalone post rather than under the umbrella of a Picture Parade.)
Thanks to Suzann for sending this on to me.
ooOOoo
A Man Found Two Bear Cubs Beside Their Dead Mother.
A naturalist named Casey Anderson stumbled across two grizzly bear cubs nestled beside their dead mother in the wild mountains of Alaska . Casey couldn’t just leave these little guys to die in the wilderness, so he made the brave decision to take them with him. He trains animals for a living, so he knew he would be able to give these cubs a real shot. That simple decision, borne out of grief, turned into one of the most unique and adorable rehabilitation stories we have ever laid eyes on.
This is Casey and the little cubs. Unfortunately, only one survived and Casey decided to adopt him.
He named him Brutus.
Brutus grew up as part of the family, albeit a very fuzzy part.
It was Casey’s job to train animals, so raising and training Brutus was normal for him.
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Over the years, they became close friends and brothers.
And Brutus got the run of the pool.
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Brutus grew to be so close to Casey, he was even his best man (bear) at the wedding.
It may have made the bride a little nervous.
But she was probably glad Brutus wasn’t capable of taking him out to dinner (no thumbs).
Brutus also gets a place of honor at the Thanksgiving table.
Life is good for this not-so-average bear.
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You’ll be hard pressed to find a situation cooler than being best friends with a killer grizzly bear. If Casey and Brutus made you smile, then you should probably spread the joy and share this.
This is a lovely story. Shame all humans aren’t this kind and understanding. Though many are and this is a lovely example of such a person.
After yesterday’s tribute to Pharaoh, a timely reminder came in from Suzann in an email about the many, many dogs in much less fortunate circumstances.
Let me first include what Su said in her email.
Pablo,
Here is Jax, a pup I rescued at 3 1/2 weeks old with one partial leg missing and bleeding.
I sent him to my amiga J9 and she has had him for a while now and is having a benefit for him to raise money for a prosthetic for him to save his back.
Is this the kind of thing that I can put on your website?
Let me know.
He is a precious little guy and needs this desperately to help him find a great home as well.
Let me know.
Suzann
I rang Su immediately and confirmed that this was perfect for Learning from Dogs.
What Su also included in her email was the following information.
So, please, share this post just as far and wide as you can. (And if you can spare a few pennies to help, then all the better!)
Jax’s Story:
Jax was living with his feral mom on the desert of Mexico and was only 3-1/2 weeks old when he got his leg stuck in some fencing. Mom tried and tried to free him… eventually chewing off his paw in order to save his life. Coyotes roamed the area and a small puppy would not have been able to protect himself from them. Thankfully, a wonderful man saw what had happened and rushed the bleeding puppy to the nearest rescue for care, which happened to be our sister organization in San Carlos, Mexico, Ambos Rescue.
Jax was taken to a local vet, who then determined that the pup’s lower leg needed to be amputated. This was done with the hopes that Jax would be able to receive a prosthetic leg in the future, which is why they did not do a full amputation, thus limiting his choices.
But now Jax runs the risk of throwing his back out with the little stub he flaps around… and he needs either a full amputation, or a prosthetic leg before he permanently does damage to his spine. Amputation is always an option but we would like to try a prosthetic first.
This Garage Sale is for Jax… PLEASE SUPPORT HIM!
Saturday, June 6th – 7:30 am
(Until 2:30… or maybe 3:00)
1010 Olympic Way, Nipomo, CA
Anyone who wishes to donate
directly to Jax’s Fund
can mail a check to:
P.O. Box 2952, Orcutt, CA 93457
Please, please can you help find homes for these gorgeous puppies.
Please read to the end and share this post as widely as you can! Thank you!
Many know that I first met Jean in San Carlos, Mexico over Christmas, 2007.
I met Jean as a result of the kindest gift anyone has given me. Namely, Suzann Reeve, sister of Dan Gomez, whom I have known for 45 years, and Suzann’s husband, Don, invited me to spend Christmas with them at their home in San Carlos.
Before my arrival on the scene, Jean and Su had worked together for a long time rescuing poor feral dogs off the streets and finding homes for them in the USA.
After Jean and I moved from San Carlos, with 14 dogs I hasten to add, up to Arizona in 2010, Su has kept going rescuing street dogs and loving them until they can find real homes.
Many of the Mexican people are so poor that when a female dog has a litter of puppies they sell the puppies for a few pesos and cast the mother dog back out on to the street.
Our Hazel that we have here at home in Oregon was one such dog and, trust me, never have I experienced a more loving, loyal and affectionate dog.
Hazel loving up yours truly!
In the last few days, Su has been on the telephone to say that she has a litter of nine puppies and is desperate to find homes for them before too long.
In answer to my question about the background to the puppies, Su replied:
They are reputed to have been born on Valentine’s day, which makes them 8 weeks on April 14th.
They are about 6-7 lbs each today.
There are 4 girls and 5 boys.
Their mom was feral, but wags her tail ferociously when she spies me with her food bowl!
Mom eats steak, bone broth, rice, Kirkland Nature’s Domain canned food, Kirkland dry food. She has cared well for her pups.
The pups eat Blue Buffalo canned puppy food mixed in with Kirkland puppy food and some water. they have also received yogurt in their food which I weaned them off as of yesterday.
They will be receiving their first vaccination Monday.
They have been wormed twice.
They have been given anti-tick spray twice.
Several have at least one blue eye with the other being a brownish grey, some have brown eyes, and the others have light brown eyes.
I have their grandmother here at the casa as well, and Sofia is looking for a forever home as well. Bella, the mom of the pups, is a medium sized dog with brown, terra cota and white markings.
One of the dads is mostly black with a little white, and the one blue eye.
They were born in a small beach side fishing village in La Manga, Mexico.
The mom has a sweet disposition.
At least 2 of the pups have alpha tendencies.
So dear, dear people, if you or anyone you know might be interested in having one of these beautiful puppy dogs then leave a comment without delay.
If you have any questions or queries, likewise articulate that query as a comment to this post. Su will reply to each and every one.
Please share this post as far and wide as you can.
Don’t even hesitate in wondering how Su and all of us can get a puppy from San Carlos to wherever you are – it will be sorted!
Dogs spend their whole lives offering unconditional love to us humans.
Let’s return that love by finding homes for these nine beautiful puppies.
Last Friday, I published a post under the title: Written with a heavy heart! It was about the appalling atrocities being carried out by ISIS. I was humbled by the many replies.
Yesterday, Su sent me another email that contained a link to a short video of what happened in Holland in September, 2011 when a Muslim attempted to make his personal beliefs known to Queen Beatrix of Holland.
All will become clear when you watch the video.
Love is the answer!
Now at first sight this may seem a silly, naive comment from a Brit who is way past longing for the hippie days of the 60s.
Sue, I looked at Paul’s post and came away with tears rolling down my face. Why isn’t this shown on our news, why aren’t we doing more to save these people? We start wars for oil and political ideology but not to save children. Today i just heard that the last group of the Peace Corp just pulled out of Israel because it was no longer safe enough to be there. We can’t keep ignoring what is going on in other parts of the world yet what can we as individuals do? Your poem was perfect for the subject and brings out much of the same questions I have swirling in my head now.
Here’s another reminder of the power of love; a reminder of the role of dogs in allowing us humans to open our hearts and practice unconditional love.
It’s what Jean and I experienced when we were out shopping in Grants Pass yesterday morning.
We were in a largish store when I saw a grey-haired woman pushing her shopping cart. Nothing unusual about that! But this shopping cart had a small, black puppy riding in the section where handbags are placed; just beyond the push-bar.
Halfway down the same aisle that we were in, the lady paused, lifted the puppy into her arms, and was looking at some food items on a shelf. It was more than Jean and I could resist and we both approached the woman.
It turned out that the lady was 71 and had recently lost a dog from old age. As we petted the little puppy we learnt that he was 10 weeks old and that his name was Shadow.
Then without any prompting she went on to say:
People said I’m too old to be taking on a puppy. But I was so heart-broken when my dog died; so lonely without having him in my life. Now I have Shadow and I can face my days again. Little Shadow means the world to me. And I’m not going to worry about the future – I’m sure someone will take Shadow when I die. I just know that there is nothing better than the love of a little dog.
The power of love.
Of all the many things we can learn from dogs love is the greatest.
How to finish today’s post?
To me, only one way. Over to you: Simply Red.
Lives and loves
Don’t tell me about it
To respond to something permanent
You’ve got to be strong
Lives and loves
Only you know in your heart
How the pain felt
How the love made you melt
Me and you love
We have a way that seems to brighten up the day
We have our problems
Is the whole world asking, “Is it worth it?”
All the lovers in the world
Should they go on?
After all, they say
“You only live once”
Lives and loves
Only you know in your heart
How the pain felt
How the love made you melt
Me and you love
We have a way, that seems to brighten up the day
We have our problems
Is the whole world asking, “Is it worth it?”
All the lovers in the world
Should they go on
On and on and on
Lives and loves
Don’t tell me about it
Someone always gets hurt in it
You’ve got to be strong
Yeah lives and loves
Only we know in our hearts
How the pain felt
Oh your love made me melt
Me and you love
We had a way that seemed to brighten up the day
We had our problems
Is the whole world asking, “Is it worth it?”
All the lovers in the world
Should they go on?
After all, they say
“You only live once”
Readers will recall that the first dog spot was published two weeks ago. I explained the background behind the idea:
Anyway, long before I came on the scene, Suzann and Jean had been working together caring for the countless feral street dogs that roam so many Mexican streets. In many cases that caring included finding new, loving homes for them in the USA. When Jean and I moved away from San Carlos in 2010, eventually ending up here in Southern Oregon almost 2 years ago, Suzann didn’t hesitate to continue caring for these Mexican dogs and, wherever possible, finding new homes for them.
Thus came the idea of promoting a wonderful dog ready for a new home here on Learning from Dogs. Who knows, maybe a reader somewhere may know of a family or a person looking for a dog and as a recent post highlighted, rescued dogs are life-savers.
So to the story behind these two dogs.
Please do everything you can to share this post as far and wide as possible, because the rescuing of dogs off the streets of Mexico can only be continued if loving homes are found for each and every one of them.
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L’il Bear Cruz and Blaze
by Suzann Reeve
What’s not to love with these two!
These two little darlings are the offspring of a half-coyote I have been feeding off and on for years out in the desert.
I named the half-coyote Luna and she is totally feral and has always lived at the base of the mountains in the desert 20 minutes outside of town.
Luna, the half-coyote mother dog.
Luna learned as a pup that if she came down to the sea she would be fed, and she has been for years by a whole string of people, the latest being myself. But she always returns to the desert at the bottom of the mountain.
I’m pretty certain that Luna is around 14-years-old. But she looks like she is 4. Luna has had a litter every year, only ever has 3 pups, never gains weight and her teats never show any milk, so it is difficult to understand how she even feeds them!
In the case of L’il Bear Cruz and Blaze, I had to take the pups after only two weeks because of threats to their continued existence due to vultures hovering over the young animals. Indeed, Luna had to chase the big birds away every day from her nest!
They are happy little creatures and I dearly love them.
I’m delighted to announce a new feature for Learning from Dogs, a feature that will be close to many of your hearts; of that there is no doubt.
The background.
Those who have been long-term readers of this place will have been aware that Jean and I first met in San Carlos, Mexico in December, 2007. The result of a very generous invitation from Suzann and Don Reeve for me to spend Christmas with them. Suzann being the sister of Californian, Dan Gomez, whom I have regarded as a close friend for over 35 years. I have known Suzann and Don for nearly the same time.
Suzann and Jean, Mexico, December, 2007.
Anyway, long before I came on the scene, Suzann and Jean had been working together caring for the countless feral street dogs that roam so many Mexican streets. In many cases that caring included finding new, loving homes for them in the USA. When Jean and I moved away from San Carlos in 2010, eventually ending up here in Southern Oregon almost 2 years ago, Suzann didn’t hesitate to continue caring for these Mexican dogs and, wherever possible, finding new homes for them.
Thus came the idea of promoting a wonderful dog ready for a new home here on Learning from Dogs. Who knows, maybe a reader somewhere may know of a family or a person looking for a dog and as a recent post highlighted, rescued dogs are life-savers.
Suzann caring for a feral Mexican street dog.
Thus starting today I will be promoting a particular dog that Su has sent me the details of and, hopefully, we can keep promoting a new dog every two weeks or so.
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Diamonte
by Suzann Reeve
Diamonte
Each day I travel to La Manga, a part of San Carlos, Mexico, to feed at least a dozen dogs, frequently more; plus two old men every day! I need to stop off at the market several times a week for food for both species!
One day, about five weeks ago, I happened to see a Mommy dog and her teenaged pup in the middle of the road. I got out of my car and called them over, hoping they would get clear of the flow of traffic. Thankfully that happened and they quickly came close to take advantage of a bowl of food and some water that I put in front of them. It was wonderful to see the mother move away so her pup could eat first.
A few days later I returned and was delighted to see the mother and puppy again. Once more I put down food and water and, again, the mother dog held back to let her puppy feed before her.
Several days later, yes, you guessed it! Once more I put out food and water, although this time I never actually saw Momma dog eat.
A further two weeks went by before I saw them both. But this time, Momma dog was not well. She crept over to lay under a car while her daughter ate the food I put out. Then a few days after noticing the unwell mother dog, I returned and knew there was a problem. There was a message I was picking up from the mother dog. She seemed to be saying to me that she wanted me to take her puppy. So I did.
I picked up the young puppy and put her in my car. As I did so, Momma dog slowly lifted herself up, went over to my car, sniffed one door and then went around to the other side and sniffed that other door. She then looked at me as if to say thank you.
Momma dog then wandered off and lay down in the shade on the other side of the door, never eating a thing. She watched me drive out of the parking lot and I have never seen her there again.
Who could resist such a lovely open, happy face! Please find a home for Diamonte.
Diamonte is a happy, bouncy little girl, presently at about 30 lbs and my guess is that she will be around 40lbs at full growth. She is a very sweet dog, always wanting to please and I regard her as a sunny and bright little girl. Diamonte is as cute as a button, with a dash of freckles over her nose. She is a quick learner and would be a lovely pet for a family or an active single person or couple.
She will receive her 2nd puppy vaccination on the 20th August and hopefully before then she will be spayed.
Note from Su:
With any dog that is ready for a new home, I always try to get the dog spayed or neutered here in San Carlos together with any necessary vaccinations.
Regarding getting the dog to you, the new owner, there are a few regular people who drive to AZ that could hook up with you or with someone who could take it on another leg in it’s journey.
There are some pilots who also fly dogs from point A to point B as well as people who would transport a dog by car in a similar manner. It all depends on networking, trying to find the right person at the right time, activities that must be done by the rescuer as well as the adopter. In other words, a joint effort to try to find a way to get the dog to you. It can be done with people who are tenacious.
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If Diamonte pulls at your heartstrings or you know of someone who may feel likewise, leave a short response to this post and I will put you in direct contact with Suzann. Thank you.
Oh, just to help those heartstrings along, here’s a repeat of a picture from last Sunday.
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Learning from Dogs 