Life with Bear-Bear the loving Husky - without the controversy. Q & A interview

The following is an interview between Cameron Gillespie, the Phoenix Siberian Husky Examiner, and Tiffany Greco. Tiffany, acting as a volunteer and representative on behalf of Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc. (TOTTSHR), removed Bear-Bear from the Delaware SPCA shelter in Newark, DE, and cared for him as his foster parent until finding him his forever and loving home with Rachel and Ryan Rettaliata.

Bear-Bear, the 3 year old Siberian Husky, was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer and dog park patron, within the fenced containment of the Quail Run community dog park in Severn, Maryland, on August 2, 2010. (For further information reference, ‘Federal police officer shoots and kills playful Siberian Husky at dog park.’)

~Q and A Interview~

Cameron: Many readers would like to know about Bear-Bear’s rescue history. Why was he removed from his previous home prior to becoming adopted, where was he found, and by who?

Tiffany: Bear was seized from a home in Delaware. They pretty much left him chained out 24/7 with no access to shelter. He only had access to moldy food and barely any water. He was seized and was placed in the Delaware SPCA shelter in Newark, DE.

The morning I got there, the staff was extremely nice, some were very sympathetic that I had just driven an hour to come pull this dog. It was actually pretty funny, I was standing in the loading area waiting for them to bring Bear out, as soon as they brought him out, he took off running toward me with the shelter woman dragging behind him. He tackled me and just started licking my face. He was such a big goofy puppy.

Cameron: What condition would you say he was he in when he came to TOTTSHR?

Tiffany: He was severely under weight, a good 20lbs underweight. He was a very wooly Husky, and wooly Huskies have a tendency for their coats to mat. Around his collar line was matted beyond belief! The biggest mats were somewhere between the size of a baseball - softball. He had mats behind his ears that were the size of golf balls. The mats around his neck and behind his ears were so bad they were actually tearing his skin. His "pantaloons," as I refer to them, were crusted in fecal matter and completely matted. Actually the first day I got him, he needed an immediate bath. I took him to the dog park, since I knew it was such an odd hour no one would be there, as I wanted to give him the opportunity to blow off some steam before I gave him a bath. His back legs were so matted that the dog could not walk or run properly. He couldn't flex his legs properly; he just kind of walked and ran like his two back legs were pegs. As per his disposition, he was a sweetheart from the beginning. Super lovey, all he wanted to do was cuddle.
He obviously was not housetrained, so that was our first hurdle, but he took to that quickly and was housebroken within a week. The only small issue we had was with some initial separation anxiety, but that resolved over the month I had him.

Cameron: Did he require any medical treatment after taken from his previous home?

Tiffany: All dogs that are taken in by TOTTSHR for foster care receive a veterinary examination, are given updated vaccinations, and are tested for heartworms, lyme disease and ehrlichia, they also have a CBC (complete blood count) panel performed. They are provided with heartworm prevention medication and flea and tick treatment/preventative. All of his test results came back negative, and the blood work was within normal limits. There was nothing wrong with him medically as far as we know.

Cameron: When exactly was he placed in your home as a foster pup?

Tiffany: He was my foster in the fall of 2008.

Cameron: He sounded like a love! What would you say his overall disposition was like while in your care?

Tiffany: He was just a super sweet dog that loved to cuddle. He wasn't so huge on playing and didn't have too much energy, but I think a lot of that probably had to do with how malnourished he was. And boy did he have an appetite! He would eat upwards of 4 cups of food a day and still wanted more. I actually would feel bad not giving him more, but as I'm sure you know, you can't let any animal gain weight too quickly as it stresses their cardiovascular system far too much, among other things.

Cameron: Did you have other furry friends in your home while you fostered Bear-Bear, any four-legged playmates?

Tiffany: Yes I have a husky of my own that is a year older than Bear. They would play together in the house and yard daily. They never really had a squabble. If anything, any tension was due to Aspen being jealous, as this was my first foster. Bear could really care less about Aspen; he just wanted people attention!

Cameron: How did the Rettaliata’s come to adopt him into their family?

Tiffany: There was a coffee shop across the street from my former home, it would often host free concerts. I always brought Bear to these. During one of the shows Ryan's mother was there and absolutely fell in love with Bear! He was just so pathetic… a rock could’ve fallen in love with him. So of course, she immediately called Ryan and told him about the dog. A few days later they came to my house to see Bear, but I wasn't home. They did however leave a note requesting me to come and visit them at the pub where they both work (the pub is a few blocks from my home). So I took a walk up there for Ryan to meet Bear. The first time Ryan and Bear met, Ryan sat down outside and Bear just leaned into him and pretty much melted in Ryan's lap. I think Ryan had it made up in his mind at that moment Bear would be his! So he and Rachel then went through our adoption process, which included bringing their other dogs out to make sure that we were bringing the right match to his home and he would be a good fit. At the time, he had another husky named Lokki, who has since passed. We always want to make sure we are placing the right dog in the right home. (Smiles)

Cameron: In my experience, Huskies tend to stay ‘puppy like’ longer than most other breeds and given that he was only three, would you still consider his mannerisms and playing style to have that of a puppy’s nature?

Tiffany: I really can't comment on that since I hadn't seen him recently, so I don't think I could give a fair assessment of his most current play style. But while he was with me he was very gentle. I mean he and Aspen would play the normal ‘I'm going to grab your neck and pin you to the ground’ game, but it was very nonchalant.

Cameron: Being that you provide foster care for Siberian Huskies, in your opinion, how does their playing style or disposition differ from other breeds?

Tiffany: I don't think they play that much differently than other dogs except that they seem to enjoy the wrestling aspect of playing much more than say a chasing game that other breeds enjoy.

Cameron: While in your care, did Bear-Bear have interaction with any dogs other than Aspen?

Tiffany: Yep, we went to the dog park about 3x/week and he did just fine. He was actually more interested in mooching loving from people than playing with the other dogs. Pretty funny!

Cameron: Was his name Bear-Bear when he came to TOTTSHR, or was it changed?

Tiffany: His name was Bear when I pulled him from the shelter, and since he already knew it, we decided not to change it. His nickname ended up being Bear-Bear. Ryan and Rachel tried to change his name, but he wouldn't take to the new name so they stuck with Bear-Bear.

Cameron: Did he have a favorite toy, blanket, treats or a place to lie…in short, what kind of a furry guy was he? (Big smirk)

Tiffany: His favorite place to lie? On top of the closest person next to him! As I mentioned he had a voracious appetite, so I think you could have tried to feed him poop and he would have eaten it! He was extremely obedient and easy to train. He was SO eager to please and get pet and loved on, that I really didn't need treats to train him. Human affection was enough of a motivator for him.

Cameron: How did he initially fit into the Rettaliata’s lives?

Tiffany: Rachel hadn't met him until the day of the adoption and you could tell she was excited! He pretty much made himself right at home… and immediately marked, what I think I remember to be, a house plant (that was a new behavior)! Lokki was a little crabby at first about all these new dogs in his home, but he chilled out pretty fast. He and Bear hit it off pretty well and were racing about the house. Bear was a very important part of their lives; they really loved him to death. He was especially crucial in helping Ryan and Rachel when Lokki passed away a few months ago. Since Ryan works just a few blocks from my home, I'd always see him while I was walking home from work, at least once a week, so I would get constant updates from him about Bear.

Cameron: I’m sure you missed him very much after he was adopted?

Tiffany: Of course I did. (Grinning) But I was so happy to see him go to such a great home where I knew they really deeply cared for his wellbeing.

Cameron: Bear-Bear sounded like he loved everyone. I know how Sibe puppies can be when they tend to show excitement, was he pretty typical with ‘jump and pounce behavior’ when excited about new people or playmates?

Tiffany: He would get very excited. We had to work on the jumping on people and eventually that just turned into him leaning into the people when he would greet them… he’d just stand there and wait to be petted and slather them in kisses.

Cameron: Would you agree that many Huskies end up in a shelter or rescue situation due to previous owners having a misconception of their behavior, or misunderstanding the breed as a whole?

Tiffany: Absolutely. Let's face it, they’re a very attractive breed and with the numerous movies about them it only serves to glamorize them. But many people don't realize how much work the breed is, since it is a working breed! Generally what I've experienced is that people get the cute puppy, and don't do much of anything with it. Then the puppy turns into a foul behaving 1 year old, out of control dog, simply because it didn't receive proper guidance as a puppy and still isn't getting it's needs fulfilled as an adult. So we usually receive these calls from exasperated people that just want the dog out of their home ASAP. Most of the foster pups that we get are between 1 - 2 years old.

Cameron: I'm aware of what determines the "adoptable status" of a pup by the local Phoenix rescue, Arizona Siberian Husky Rescue and Adoption, Inc.,  but what of the TOTTSHR?

Tiffany: As far as for adoptable dogs by TOTTSHR, I think this would be a foster dog that we knew didn’t have any severe aggression or medical issues. You can't predict the behavior of every foster dog that comes in and we will not adopt out a dog until they are stable mentally (anxiety, guarding issues, etc) and physically (medical issues).

Cameron: Many people believe there is no such thing as a bad dog, only misunderstood ones; do you feel that to be a true statement?

Tiffany: Absolutely, no puppy is born bad. Whatever environment that puppy is raised in is going to shape how the puppy behaves as an adult. That being said, you can perform behavior modification on any age of dog.

Cameron: Do you believe that Bear-Bear would have ever intentionally harmed anyone?

Tiffany: In my opinion, no.

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