Mr.
October 2002 - Bear
This month’s
winner of Pet of the Month might be thought of as the Leader
of the Pack of Oriental’s free-range dogs. To Mary Dilettuso,
who nominated him, Bear is the "epitome of what a mutt
should be"
Mary says that when she and her
husband moved to Oriental from Pittsburgh three years ago, Bear
immediately found his way to her back porch.
Maybe,
wrote Mary, "he was looking for a handout, or was just
checking out the new people. Since then he's been here almost
every day for breakfast and sometimes dinner. He walks all around
town with me and sometimes brings a few of his buddies with
him when he comes to visit. Everyone knows Bear - he is truly
an ambassador for Oriental. I love him dearly."
| 
Bear
(center) with friends
|
Tracking
Bear
Mary Dilettuso wasn’t sure
who exactly owned Bear, if anyone. "All I know is I am
on his route." She suggested we try ‘Wally the sailmaker’
because she knew Bear also spent a lot of time at his place
on Hodges Street.
A call to Wally Chapin paid off.
Bear’s owner, he said, is Jeff Polaski. In search of a
photo, we asked if Bear was at Wally’s, "No, and y’know,
I’m surprised he hasn’t been by here yet for his cookie."
Wally paused. "But wait, it’s
Wednesday. He’s probably at the Tiki Bar."
The judges took note of the dog
being finely attuned to the weekly cycle of life in Oriental.
The Bear Tracking took us to the
Tiki Bar where we found not only Bear, lounging off in the shade,
but Jeff as well, taking a break between his jobs.
| 
Jeff
with Bear
|
Jeff told us that five Christmases
ago an ex-girlfriend gave him a lab/chow puppy with really big
paws. That led to the name "Bear", "He grew in
to his feet."
Those feet have taken him all over
the streets of Oriental. As a result, "more people here
know Bear than know me," says Jeff. "I mean, we’ll
be walking and people I don’t even know will holler out
the windows of cars for "Bear".
| 
Bear
with some left shoulder paint
|
Jeff says
Bear likes to roam and be where the action is and will whine
if he’s cooped up in the house while Jeff’s at work,
which is a lot of hours of the day. Evenings Jeff’s in
the kitchen at the Oriental Marina Restaurant; during the day
he’s been working on the Oriental Harbor Marina project.
Bear found his way to Jeff there Wednesday morning. Bear also
found the wet paint. (Evidence of it could still be seen on
his left side.)
Because
he was getting underfoot.. and also because of a run-in with
another dog down the street, Jeff says he kept Bear inside for
the afternoon. That rare occurrence may explain why he hadn’t
stopped by his usual haunts, Wally’s and Mary’s.
Bear
Tracking, Continued
Back from the Tiki Bar, the Towndock.net
Bear Tracking Pet of the Month judges thought their work was
done. But then the phone rang. It was Mary Dilettuso: "Our
guest has arrived. He’s here right now."
"A
Dog’s Life"??
| 
Bear
gets a HOME BAKED biscuit
|
A few minutes
later, we found Bear’s calm spirit even a tad more relaxed.
Having put the rough weathered deck of the Tiki Bar behind him
he now padded about on the Oriental rug in Mary’s dining
room as she fed him pieces of sliced turkey. He washed that
down with a quaff from one of the ceramic bowls Mary keeps on
the floor for him in the corner of the kitchen. Then he stopped
for a dog biscuit — which Mary had made from scratch —
"none of that sugar" -- the day before.
Mary says she and her husband both
have allergies to dogs so this ‘surrogate dog’ arrangement
works for them.
"In the winter he’ll
stop by, maybe for the warmth, watch some TV and then go. In
the summer, he’ll take a nap. You can tell he likes the
AC. I've tried to persuade him to stay with us, but he's not
interested. He just wants to visit, then go off on his own -
an independent dog if I ever saw one."
And soon,
that independence was showing. Bear sat at the door, waiting
to be let out.
Bear is
one independent dog - one response we heard to "whose dog
is it" is that "Bear is his own dog."
Congratulations Bear - Mr. October.
BIO
ON BEAR:
Turn Ons: Happy Hour at the Tiki Bar
Turn Offs: Male dogs bigger than he is
Favorite Meal: Whatever you're having
Last Book Read (or Chewed): Old Yeller (didn't
like the ending)
Celebrity
Pet Most Resembles: Rin Tin Tin (he wishes)
What Pet Likes Best About Oriental/Pamlico County:
Lots of people willing to share a meal. Lots of trucks to chase.
Least Favorite Quote: NO DOGS ALLOWED
Previous Pet Of The Month Winners
Miss September 2002
Miss August 2002
Know a pet
that is a standout? Send in some details & photo to pet@towndock.net.
Tell us why that pet deserves our coveted Pet of the Month Prize
Package --- accolades, a pat on the head (snakes excluded) and
a box of Milk Bones ( or snack suitable for the species).
Animals
caught near the HarborCam attempting to suck up to the judges
will be disqualified.
