When a Door closes a Window opens

by Mike Vanderwal
(Peterborough, ON)

Having been the owner of large breed dogs such as the German Shepherd and Alaskan Malamute, I am quite aware of the those breeds that serve and those that live with you.

It has also been a general occurrence of mine throughout my life to constantly change breeds after the last one has passed on, so that I would never compare the one I have, with the one one that was.

So, in 2013 we came across the most adorable male Great Pyrenees pup from a Southern Ontario Breeder, who in short chose me to take him home. We named him Sebastien.

He was my 24/7 companion going to work with me, socializing with my customers. Gradually as he grew he would jump up on the counter and rest his head on the upper counter for customers to pet, take pictures or just admire from a distance while his headed rested where he had placed it.

Then at 25 months we lost Sebastien to Addison's Disease and he was gone in three days. To lose a dog this young was a shock that hurt to my core. He was so deeply missed because this breed, I have found is SPECIAL! They are true angels!

Having gone to work with him since he was a pup and then not having that constant with me was such a hollowness. It was that week I came across a Re-home from a (military)family that was being re-posted and could not take their big guy.

We met the owner on a Saturday and my wife fell in love with him (Bear) as soon as she laid eyes on him. She called and he came right to her dragging a forty ft. leash behind him. He allowed me to walk him around and jumped immediately into our vehicle for the ride home.

He does have some health issues like being underweight for his size and we found his thyroid number to be low, so he is on a pill. He is NOT motivated by food, but we're working on that. However all in all, I have my companion back. He also is 1 month younger than Sebastien was, but who is comparing because now we have Bear, and we love him dearly.