Many will remember Bear, a Rottweiler who came to us in heartbreaking condition back in 2017 - his eyes and nose covered in redraw wounds.
Bear was suffering from a nasty and rare autoimmune disease that had been left untreated for at least two years.
After seven long months of treatment and gentle care, six-year-old Bear's resilience shone through, and his skin condition slowly improved.
As his previous owner faced court and was criminally convicted for failing to mitigate harm, the search began to find Bear a much-needed forever home. He even featured in a Channel 9 television story!
That's when his soon-to-be mum Lindsey came into the picture. She saw past Bear's scars and knew she simply had to give this good boy the love he deserved.
Sadly Bear's journey came to an end on Valentine's Day 2019, after he fell suddenly ill with cancer. He leaves behind a legacy and a family with many amazing moments to cherish forever.
Linsdey knew everyone at RSPCA loved Bear to bits, so she very kindly pulled together a photo album of her favourite moments to share with us.
We hope you'll enjoy looking back on these highlights as much as we have.
Special memories of Bear: 4/10/2011 – 14/02/2019
"This is the first photo of Bear that I saw, posted on Facebook. I feel in love with Bear at first sight - that face! So cute, a sweet and loving boy. I knew I had to meet him, so off Mum and I went on a Sunday to Lonsdale (a nearly 60km drive!).
"We're told we can't put Bear on hold until we've talked to the vet, but he's not in that Sunday. On Monday or Tuesday, I see this new picture of Bear on Facebook. My heart drops. What if someone else adopts Bear before we get back on Thursday?"
"There's a flurry of activity. We meet with the vet, talk about Bear's medical needs and arrange to return the next day to adopt! On Adoption Day, there's a few tears and so many RSPCA staff and vollies come to wish Bear good luck in his forever home."
"Here's Bear on his first night home. The red blanket he's lying on came from a supermarket. We thought it was a plain red blanket when we grabbed it (it was rolled up). But we we unrolled it at home, there was a picture of a teddy bear!"
"Bear settled in quickly and soon took over the house… he eventually took over my bed, too (I had to get a bigger bed as he was such a bed hog)."
"I'm not sure how I took this photo of Bear pulling a face, but it's one of my favourites of him."
"Bear suddenly became unwell and was admitted to Roseworthy Vet Hospital, where x-rays found he had cancer that was too advanced to treat. We were blessed to be able to spend time with Bear to cuddle him and say goodbye."
"We have Bear's ashes in a lovely urn at home and so many amazing memories to cherish. He was such a special boy and I know how much he was loved by those who cared for him at Lonsdale all those months. Wish we could've had Bear for so much longer."
It has been incredible to follow Bear's journey over the past two years. A big thank you to Lindsey for sharing her story with us, and giving Bear the love and friendship he so greatly deserved.
If you're considering opening your heart and home to a rescued animal like Bear and finding your forever fur-friend, head over here to see all our animals currently available for adoption.
