Julia adopted Bear, race name Jagr Bear, in June 1999. Bear, whom she named Baran, is a beautiful large black male.

September 23, 1999

Dear Cheryl and Kiersten,

?I’ve been meaning to write to you for weeks to thank you for sending the most wonderful greyhound in the world home with me.

?First of all, Bear is Baran now. I wanted to give him a name that reflected his elegance and the breed’s history, so spent days searching through name lists of Egyptian kings and Greek gods. They were all either unpronounceable or just didn’t fit. I moved on to other lists of names and found Baran. It’s short for Aldebaran, the brightest star in the Taurus constellation. I think it is an appropriate name for a wonderful boy with a 55A right ear tattoo. So Baran it is. It worked out well for him, too, since the sound is so similar to the name he was used to hearing.

?Although Baran was a bit nervous and unsure of things when he first came home, he has adapted well. He has been such a good boy, even from the very first moment. He never had an accident in the house, never chased my two old kitties, always showed proper respect for my 6-year old mixed-breed girl, Liza. He is a very loving, affectionate boy. He and Liza take turns getting tummy rubs and kisses. I’ve also discovered Baran enjoys being rubbed just behind his ears.

?Baran loves his two long walks each day. His level of anticipation and excitement starts building about half an hour before walk time. He is getting less afraid of car rides, though he’d still rather not go in the car. He has been on his first out-of-town car trip, up to my mother’s house in the White Mountains (about a 5-hour drive from my home in central Phoenix). By the end of the trip, he was finally getting in the car on his own, for which I’m grateful. It is a bit of work to push a 90+ pound greyhound into a car against his will!

?He loved his weekend at Grandma’s house. She’s got a fenced-in acre, so he got a chance to do some serious jogging. I was surprised that he didn’t do a full-out run. He was so very good at Grandma’s house, too. We took his muzzle because she has lots of ducks, several geese, and a couple turkeys on her property After about 10 minutes with the muzzle on, it was apparent that Baran wasn’t going to chase Grandma’s birds, so he got to spend the rest of the weekend unmuzzled.

?His favorite treat is still pig ears, just as it was at his foster family’s home. We discovered that pig ears are relatively inexpensive at Costco, so we go there to buy them in bulk. He also loves the peanut butter cookies from the recipe list that came in our greyhound adoption packet.

?This wonderful boy is definitely a pet now and enjoying his retirement. It’s such a pleasure to have him as part of my family. I cannot imagine ever living without a greyhound companion. Thank you again for selecting this wonderful dog to send home with me.

Sincerely,
Julia