Wallace John R DVM

Today, for the first time in my very full life thus far, I was present to help a truly cherished family member «let go and move on». My «son», in preference to a lesser term of «dog», my beloved Bear, crossed over.
Just a week ago my son Justin, who lives with me, and I celebrated Bear’s 10^th Birthday. It was the first birthday we ever really threw for him. And at the time, we were both so happy he made it this far because, you see, he’s had two near-​death experiences 3 and 5 yrs. ago… and we were so grateful that God kept him around awhile longer. And I don’t throw around the term «God» loosely, either.
He was in great health, really, except for his usual annual allergies. And we decided to take him in to see «Dr. Wally» to get his long-​overdue yearly shots, which we did last week. He seemed fine over the past few days, except for a few «potty» symptoms, which didn’t alarm us, because he’s gone thru that before…
But while I was at work (driving a cab in Vegas) Tues. night… I got calls from Marc and Ellie that they wouldn’t make it for workout (which we normally do Sun-​Tues), so I decided to go home and watch a little tv and visit Bear. When I came in the apt., he was not his usual self, needless to say.
Things happen for a reason. Life has taught me that in my 58 yrs. Whatever «God» is (none of us know for sure), He is ever-​present. And I felt compelled by a feeling in my chest that this was Bear’s time to go, and that I needed to wake up my son, Justin, so that he could be with Bear. Justin is even closer to Bear than I, and I knew that he needed to be with him at this time.
Bear was the most loving dog I have ever had in my life. Over the years, Bear was a companion, a confidant, and a comrade to both of us… and yet Bear was a son to me, and a brother to Justin. Like many of you out there who’ve had dogs as family members, you know what I mean about the special relationships that are shared between dog and human. You just can’t explain it. You have to experience it.
When I came back home from work, as Justin was cradling Bear in one of our Papasan chairs in the living room, we both sensed that this was «The End» for Bear. We were at first unsure of what to do. I called «Dr. Wally», my long-​time friend, one-​time fellow bodybuilder, and one of the best vets in the country, John Wallace, and asked for his advice. Mind you, I was talking with him on and off on his personal cell from 2 – 6 am. And based on his history with Bear, he gave me sound advice which I will always be grateful for.
John has saved Bear’s life twice in the past 5 years. Bear once became so frail, and dying of Distemper. John said he likely wouldn’t survive, but did, with the help of his medications. It wasn’t Bear’s time to let go…
3 years ago, Bear developed a bladder infection & the stones nearly killed him, but thru a strict medication and diet regimin, he survived. It still wasn’t Bear’s time to let go…
This time, it seemed that it may have been Pancreatic Cancer which just crept up and overtook him very suddenly. I understood, because my own father went very quickly in a very similar manner. So, this time, I think we all knew, including Bear, that it WAS his time to let go…
I thank God and people like John Wallace for giving us these 10 yrs. of joy we’ve experienced with Bear. He has comforted us thru our bad times, and celebrated with us thru our good times. He’s made us feel loved and missed and appreciated… unlike any other human companion can do. He made all the problems of the outside world just slip away every day.
As Justin held him close in that chair, I knelt down and held them both, and talked out loud to Bear, and God. Asking God to give guidance and help, Justin and I both felt (and Bear was telling us) that this was the time to let go. He knew somehow that it was time to move on, and that he didn’t want or need to go see Dr. Wally and be saved yet again. When Justin and I started talking about taking him in to see the vet, Bear just looked at us… and we could see in his eyes that he didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay right here, in our arms, and cross over.
With a couple of howls, and seeing his eyes look up to the sky with a sense of wonderment as he scurried his legs as though he was running towards a new place to play, we talked him thru to the other side. I told him that it was okay to let go, that we loved him and would miss him, but if it was time to go on, then go… and I asked God to help him cross over, and ease the way… to make it quick and painless for him. And so, with a deep sigh, and a smile on his face, Bear shut his eyes… and we hugged and kissed him goodbye.
«Dr. Wally», was actually very saddened by Bear’s passing, but honored that we wanted to bring him to the office so that he could take care of the cremation, and yes, to say goodbye to Bear, too. Thank you, John and our family at VCA, once again.