Tinker's Story
My dog Tinker, who is my sole companion when my husband is out on the road working, had an allergic reaction to something. Her ears swelled up very big and then the one wouldn't go down even with treatment. It caused her to shake her head all of the time. Then the place on her ear opened up and became an oozing sore. The vet said it was a tumor. When (we) are at a very hard time with medical bills and my husband changing jobs because of health insurance, The Bearen Foundation helped pay to have the surgery Tinker needed to get rid of the tumor.
I wanted to include a letter to expand on my dog Tinker's story. We used to live in Alaska and while we were there we lived in a remote area. We had a lot of wildlife on the property. One year when I was gardening the dog started barking and just wouldn't stop. I should have realized that there was a problem since she isn't a barker. I was too involved in my work but she just kept up, so I walked over to where she was and was down in her face telling her to quiet down. She started whimpering, which she never does, then she started pushing on me like she was steering me in the direction she wanted me to go. I finally hesitated and realized there must be a problem I didn't realize. I raised up and turned around to find a grizzly bear standing 12 feet behind me, and he was approaching closer. Tinker sounded ferocious and the bear stopped, I grabbed the dog and headed for the house about 20 feet away. We made it in and were fine.
The story could have gone another way, and with a much less happy ending. I know she probably feared for her life too, but when I went to grab her she was ready to head toward the bear so I believe she was defending me. That kind of devotion deserves kind treatment and it almost broke my heart that I couldn't help her. The veterinary hospital contacted the Bearen Foundation and the Humane Society and they were willing to help. She lost part of her ear when they removed a tumor but she's still beautiful to me. Thank you for saving my friend and companion.
Sincerely,
Martha McRae
