04/16/2025
Ursa Minor “Little Bear” Aurora Bearealis (2015-2025)
Bear, 10, of Oak Harbor, WA and Talkeetna, AK, passed away on April 16th, 2025 from acute leukemia.
Born in Willow, AK, one of 21 puppies, Bear trained with GSDs and Belgian Malinois, but lacked discipline and drive, preferring to lay in the garden and watch chickens. He was a fierce alerter to predators real and imaginary and never met an eggroll he didn’t love. He fostered countless pups, guiding them with his patient good nature. Bear was quite the intrepid traveler, having ridden on trains, trucks, and planes with aplomb (but feared buses). He spent months traveling the US, but remained an Alaskan dog, preferring deep snow and lakes to deserts and oceans.
Bear reluctantly met Princess in 2017. Princess annoyed him to death, but on the fateful morning of Nov 30, 2018 a 7.1 earthquake he rushed to her aid and comfort. 60+ days later, Princess bore 9 puppies, and he realized fostering was very different from raising his own. To get awa- To help with the household, he began working at Kahiltna Birchworks, dutifully chasing off squirrels, lapping up leftover ice cream, and assisting with crowd control. He then transferred to an office on Bainbridge Island, WA, and then semi-retired with the advent of COVID.
Bear will always be remembered for his gentle giant kindness, bad breath, and epic drool. His quiet joyfulness radiated to everyone around him and was an endless source of soft affection to all those who needed it.
Bear is survived by Princess, his common-law mail ordered wife; his two greatest regrets of sons who never flew the coop, lil Lucky Grizzly “Meatball” and the esteemed Dogtor George “Moosey” Moosington, Esq; and his more successful pups Mochi, Liberty, Crash, and Jellybean. His legacy will live on in the memories and hearts of all of those who loved him.
Today we ask that you post (or send) any pictures of Bear you might have in his honor. I hoped that people could send him a burger if they’d like for his last days on earth, but he sadly refused all food. In lieu of the 🍔, a small donation to Saint Bernards of the PNW would be greatly appreciated. Venmo: saintbernardsofthepnw
