Bear - Finally HOME :)

Look at me now!
Cuddly BearI'm handsome, they just gave me a funny haircut!

Quick Bio

Age: Adult (3-8 years old)
Gender: Male
Breed: Spaniel
Size: Medium (7-20kg)
Colour: Black & White
  • Spayed/Neutered
  • Up-to-date with vaccinations
  • Good with dogs
  • Crate trained
  • Walks well on leash
  • Special needs
Adoption Status: Adopted
Description: 

UPDATE 1 April 2012:
Bear flew to his new home in the USA. He is doing wonderfully and settling in to home life with his 2 spaniel siblings. Stay tuned for some pics :)

*** Please note, that we only raised W225,000 for Bear's flight, which actually cost W900,000. The remainder of the money was paid by Bear's foster parents, who of course want only the best for him.

If you would like to help ease this financial burden (if you've fostered before you'll know there are many), then please consider donating a little to help them. They have just taken on a seriously bad case from one of the shelters who was due to be euthanised in 2 days and they'll need all the extra pennies they can get to help this little maltese.

http://​www.animalrescuekorea.org/​blog/clarebell/​help-bear-to-fly-home ***

UPDATE 7 March 2012:
Some brilliant news!! Someone in the USA wants to adopt our dear Bear!!! He has come along in leaps and bounds and his health just improves every day. We are going to start a fundraiser to get Bear to his forever home. Please consider donating to help with this worthy cause. After 4 long years in the shelter, Bear surely deserves a home to call his for the rest of his life. If you would like to help Bear to fly to his forever home, please visit his "donation request" blog here: http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/blog/clarebell/help-bear-to-fly-home

UPDATE 28 Jan 2012: We are looking for a new foster home for Bear! Bear's current foster parents have 2 small children. The 3-year old is big enough to understand and listen when told to be quiet, but the 18-month old is a little loud and Bear gets a little grumpy with him. By grumpy I mean he sometimes bares his teeth at the baby, which naturally worries his parents. This means that they have to keep Bear isolated for a lot of the time when the baby is awake and this is not ideal for all of them. When I asked Bear's foster mom whether she honestly thinks Bear would be ok in an adults-only household she said, without hesitation, yes! Because of Bear's age we think that he is just a little bit of a "grumpy old man" and does not want to deal with the noise and nonsense of a baby :) If you live in an adults-only household and this is not likely to change in the immediate future and would like to spend some one-on-one time with Bear, please consider fostering or adopting this lovely old boy!

UPDATE 23 Jan 2012: Some fantastic news! Bear's bloodwork came back from the vet and he is heartworm NEGATIVE!! Truely amazing :o) Also, his thyroid tests came back as normal, which means the medicine he is on is the correct dosage and is doing the trick. His urine test ALSO came back as normal. His skin infection is clearing up, as are his ears. He can now walk up and down stairs and the cheeky boy has even tried to climb up onto the bed ;o) Overall Bear is doing wonderfully. It's heart-warming & inspiring to know what a little bit of dedication, love, warmth and the right medical care can do. A huge thank you to the LeBlanc family for fostering him through this difficult time and getting him back to good health!

UPDATE 19 Jan 2012: Bear is doing great in his foster home and has had a full vet check-up. We are waiting for his blood test results and I will update as soon as I hear anything :)

UPDATE 31 Dec 2011: I am so happy to announce that after 4 long years, Bear has finally been taken from the shelter and into foster care!! Here he will get the TLC he so desperately needs and deserves. Watch this space for his progress, I'm sure it will be amazing. Thank you Jon & Mary and happy New Year to you all! :)

UPDATE 28 Dec 2011: Bear is doing slightly better since his trip to the vet. Jacky kindly called Mr Park again for an update and here it is:

1. The disease name is thyroditis & more recently he has developed an acute disc problem which is why he was so sick at the last shelter visit.
2. Apparently Bear has been on thyroid medicine for a few years since Mr. Park found out he had thyroditis. The acute disc problem seems to have happened recently and he can now stand and walk a little bit after meds from the vet.
3. Bear should take meds 4 times a day, but it is a little hard for Mr. Park so he gives only 2-3 meds a day.

Bear ideally needs a foster or forever home where someone will be available to give him his medicine 4 x per day. Other than this health "speedhump" I do feel that with the proper care, Bear can still have many more years of love and cuddles ahead of him.

UPDATE 21 Dec 2011: Poor Bear is not well :( Here is an update from Jacky, who called Mr Park after Bear went to the vet:

"I've just talked to Mr. Park on the phone and asked about "Bear", actually called "Coco" in the shelter. He took Bear to the vet and did blood tests to find out he has a problem with his nervous system as well as hypothroid. Bear is in a serious condition, and specially kept in Mr.Park's room to watch a few days. He will see and take Bear to the vet again." Please keep Bear in your thoughts & prayers!

UPDATE 14 Dec 2011: Good news is that money has been raised to get Bear a full health check and his vaccinations. As soon as this is done I will update with the results. Bear has been in the shelter for too long. Please take him home in time for Christmas!
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Mr Park says that Bear is 7 years old. Care to take a guess as to how long this lovely boy has been in the shelter? FOUR YEARS!! That is more than half of his life.

Bear suffers from hypothyroidism, an easily manageable disease requiring inexpensive medication to be given to him each day. This is why Bear is a little bit tubby and also how he earned his name! He was very lethargic when I took him out and was happy to waddle around sniffing the leaves but had no intention of going down that great big hill!

Bear also has an ear infection at the moment. Mr Park and I cleaned his ears and eyes and cut away a lot of the fur around them which is why his hairdo is a little funny at the moment. :o)

Bear just wants a nice warm place to sleep rather than the cage he currently calls home. Won't you get Bear out of the shelter? Four years is surely long enough to live in a cage? Especially when you're this cute and cuddly ;o)

Adoption Fee: ₩50,000
Location: Pyeongtaek - 평택
Living Situation: In foster care

Comments

annemariew's picture

I walked Bear today. He has come so far; used to be afraid of the volunteers. Now he loves being held, being walked. He is a sweet spirit who just needs some TLC and some pats on the head.

Can we see about starting a campaign to get his thyroid meds paid for? I know from my cat in the past who had it, that the medicine is quite inexpensive. Do we know how much it would cost?

clare_bell's picture

Hi Anne Marie! That is a great idea, the poor boy has been on my mind a LOT. I am raising money to sponsor his health check and we are nearly there...perhaps when he goes to the vet they can quote us on how much we would need to raise for his hypothyroidism. I'm glad you took him out last weekend. Did you check in his ears by any chance?

annemariew's picture

Hi Clare,

Wow, so glad he is going to get a health check. Yay! I didn't look in his ears, no, to see your handiwork. Hopefully it lasted. My cat's thyroid meds were like, hmm, $9.00 a month I think back several years ago, and for me, the basic human thyroid med it is less than $15 per month.

Karen's picture

Please feel free to make a blog post here on ARK about the donations you need for Bear (or any other furry friend). Then your request will show up on more pages and hopefully more people will know about it and chip in :)

clare_bell's picture

Great Karen! Thanks! I didn't know that. I will definitely do so :)

MichelleBrook's picture

Bear was feeling very under the weather today :( he is going in today for his health exam.

ladurbin's picture

Oh no! Poor Bear! I've had my eye on him since his first posting and have been hoping to foster him when I move to Seoul in late January if he hasn't been snatched up before then. Good luck to Bear with his health exam and to everyone who works with him! ~Laura

clare_bell's picture

Oh Laura I really hope he hangs in there. He is SUCH a little angel, he would bring you endless joy! I will keep you posted on his condition.

ladurbin's picture

Thanks Clare! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for him!

jinyoung's picture

hopely he can find a warm home for this winter. He looked seriously sick on 19th. I'm praying for him

clare_bell's picture

Apparently Bear is doing slightly better after his vet visit...let's keep holding thumbs and crossing fingers and toes for dear Bear. He SO deserves to be in a warm home after 4 years in the shelter :(

annemariew's picture

I'm glad to hear that. Do we know what's going on? Do they feel its related to his thyroid? Was enough money raised for him to get on the thyroid meds? I lost track of that donations effort for Bear....

clare_bell's picture

Unfortunately I'm very much in the dark on his status other than he is doing slightly better. Jacky called Mr Park and then sent me a message to let me know. I will try find out more. We raised money for his health check/vaccinations etc. (170,000) but he can't have those now because he is so sick. I still have the money for that and am waiting for the go-ahead to make a deposit. In the meantime, I'm not sure who is paying for his treatment and what it is he's getting :( Hate being so in the dark! But I will try get more info asap!

annemariew's picture

Thanks, Clare. I wonder if we can use some of the money to get him on the thyroid meds? For hypothyroidism, it's a simple inexpensive pill and can radically affect the health of a dog. Thyroid affects every cell in the body. The tough thing is that someone would have to give it to him daily, so would be much better in a foster or forever home. I just hope it's not more than his thyroid, poor baby.
Well it's so nice that you are Bear's angel--he needs one!

clare_bell's picture

Yes, I think that would be a wonderful idea! Poor thing really needs a foster home as soon as possible. I'll try find out what is going on.
Thanks, Bear is an angel himself! It was love at first sight :)

jinyoung's picture

hum..hope...he finds someone who can give him a daily care if not a forever home at least a foster parent....feel so frustrated that a dog like him can be in a better condition soon with a special care for a week or so...

MaryNJon's picture

Really excited about potentially fostering Bear, I'm just waiting for the review of my application!

dorothy and toto's picture

Is Bear doing okay then? Will he be able to go out to a foster home?

clare_bell's picture

Bear is marginally better but he really needs to be in a foster home so that he can get regular TLC and get his medicine every day. I will update his profile shortly with the latest news I have on him.

MaryNJon I am mailing you right now :)

linhorobin's picture

Wow!! That's wonderful news!! Thank you so much Jon and Mary for getting this lovely fellow started on his new life!

MaryNJon's picture

Absolutely! It's going to be a long road for Bear. I can't wait to see what a couple months of taking the correct dosage of medication does for him. I am hoping his fur will grow back in a bit and he will start shedding some of that weight. He is not getting very much exercise, of course, because he can hardly walk, but the medication should really help. I am really happy to have him in my home.

MaryNJon's picture

Bear had a great day today at the vet! He is now updated on his vaccinations, and got his ears cleaned. We got some antibiotic drops for them because they were so badly infected. He is feeling better though, and about ready to have a nice bath with soap that should clear up a skin infection of his back. He had to get shaved down, because his fur was so matted, but he is staying warm! He is on the road to a great recovery! He even used a pee pad today!

annemariew's picture

Aw!!!! He looks great shaved down--honestly I don't recognize him. It is so great to hear good news about this sweet baby. Yay!

lcavegirl's picture

That is great to hear that Bear is doing so well! We (Dantes, Emma, and myself) have our fingers crossed that Bear will find a forever home soon!

MaryNJon's picture

Yes, Bear is doing very very well medically. I am so glad for him! We're very sad to be looking for a new foster parent for him, but at least we got to help him get back on his feet. We're hoping to get his medicine on a more manageable schedule. I think that will help a lot looking for a new home. Not sure if he is afraid of my youngest from lack of socialization or just his temperament, but I never let my son grab him or hurt him. I was very careful about their interactions. We're thinking about letting him give Bear a treat once a day or something to see if that will help him think of my son in a more friendly way. Any suggestions to help would be great, too!

clare_bell's picture

http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/blog/clarebell/help-bear-to-fly-home

Please consider donating to help us fly Bear to his forever home! :)

clare_bell's picture

We visited with Bear yesterday and he is looking fabulous!! (See his new profile pic :) )

We are still trying to raise the funds for his flight to the USA. Please consider donating towards this worthy cause!
http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/blog/clarebell/help-bear-to-fly-home

I love my foster family!
MaryNJon's picture

Oh no! *Sniff Sniff* We love you too Bear! We'll miss you!

clare_bell's picture

Here are some pics of Bear in the US of A with his new mom!! They were taken with Skype snapshot so not too clear, but you can see how happy he is :)

MichelleBrook's picture

Hey there! any updates on how bear is doing in his home? It warms my heart SO much that he has now been out of the shelter for almost a year now and in his forever home for 8 months. :) Amazing. :)

MaryNJon's picture

Actually, Bear is POTTY TRAINED. Can you believe THAT?! I can't, honestly. lol. He is doing really well, I'll try to get some new pics. Thank you so much for asking about him!

clare_bell's picture

I often think of this sweet old man but always forget to ask about him...thanks for reminding me Michelle! Mary, I'm so glad to hear he is doing so well. Photos would truly be AMAZING! Please please try and upload some when you have a chance! :))