Today I read in Old Roommate's blog about the loss of one of his pets. That is sad -- although to be truthful, I never bonded with his birds: There was nothing wrong with them, but I simply don't find pet birds to be terribly interactive. Bird-lovers may disagree, so perhaps it is just me.

On the other hand, I was pleased that Bear, the dog, is still doing well. Gye Greene and I roomed with Old Roommate for a number of years, and Bear both pre- and post-dates our co-occupancy with Old Roommate.

Bear is without a doubt the kindest, sweetest dog in the whole world. And that includes Ralphie. When Ralphie has stolen something he is not supposed to have -- perhaps a sock from the laundry hamper -- he will grumble and growl a bit as you try to confiscate it. I have never known Bear to growl, or nip, or any-such. If anything, he tends towards the passive, subordinate side.

Bear's neediness -- most dogs are needy; Bear more-so -- leads to some amusing chracteristics . When we roomed with Old Roommate and sat around the kitchen table reading the newspaper, Bear would sit on the floor next to your chair, place one paw on your knee and look up at you as if to sympathetically say ''I know how it is...'' If he didn't get patted, then after a few attempts at empathy he would walk under the table and lie down on your feet (particularly in the winter).

A sweet dog.

Also a bit of an older dog. He was ''used'' when Old Roomate picked him up -- from an animal shelter, I believe -- and this was prior to his first marriage. Thus, I believe he was acquired around 1993. If so, that would make him around thirteen years old -- which is rather senior for a dog.


Again: A sweet dog. It would be nice to get a dog like him here in Brisbane, but I am not sure his breed -- American Eskimo (related to Samoyeds) -- is easily available here.


--TG