She replied:

"Yes, that is the one and only "Julio". I see the resemblence in the pictures now. I also recognize the cuddle.

Looks like Bear inherited the gentle, kind and loving nature of Julio. Amongst my dear friends, Julio was known for giving the best hugs in the world. He would stand on his back feet and wrap his front legs around your waist. Julio, also, would have made an outstanding therapy dog. He had spent hours with my Aunt as she was suffering with lung cancer and just rested his head on her lap.

Attached are a couple of photos of Julio. You will see the likeness. You and your family were obviously a wonderful home for Bear and we are grateful for the life you gave him.

Again, I am sorry for the pain you and your family have felt with the loss of Bear."

Bear at age 1

Here are some of the other heartfelt e-mails I received:

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Jen,

I just wanted to let you know how moved I was upon reading your story of Bear. Need I say that tears flowed. I too have a beautiful golden named Rusty. He is 12 and been such a special dog. He has been my loyal faithful companion since my husband died 4 yrs. ago. He is on borrowed time as he has tumors but I will not put him thru surgery or chemo. When the time comes, the vet will come to my house to put him down. Then I will take him to be cremated as his ashes will be buried with me when my time comes. Those special dogs will always hold a special spot in our hearts. My two cats are very cose to Rusty so they too will feel the loss. Thanks for sharing your story. 
Judie Clark 
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Hi Jen,

I had to write you to tell you how much I enjoyed your story on Bear. Retrievers are such special gifts. As I was reading your story, my mind was traveling down memory lane as my husband and I had to put our white fluffy dog Waffles to sleep 20 years ago. It seems like yesterday. I remember the last walk our teenage son, Chad, had with him. As I put him in the car to drive to the vet, I felt so guilty as he did not know what was about to happen. We lived in the country and when I would hear the bus coming down the road, I would tell Waffles: "Chad's coming". He would climb onto the ledge outside our door with one ear up and always one ear down. As our son disembarked from the bus, Waffles would bounce down the steps and race to meet him. Waffles loved the snow drifts in Illinois. In the early 1980s the drifts were as high as the roof by our kithcen window. Son Chad and he would climb to the top and look into the kitchen where I was working. Waffles was part of our family for twelve years.

Thanks for sharing such a warmhearted story. We two-legged creatures have much to learn about our four-legged friends: love unconditionally, don't hold a grudge, put our smile on when  greeting people, (use lips if no tail) and try to make life easier for all! Wow, what a concept!
Betty
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Jen,

I feel your pain. A couple of years ago, following the passing of his dog, Nizhoni, Budd Davisson wrote in his "Grassroots" column in Plane & Pilot magazine “The reason God gave dogs such short life spans is because, if they lived to be 30, the grief at their passing would be fatal.” (The sub-heading of the column was "You don’t know true sorrow until you lose a dog.)

That column brought tears to my eyes, as I had just said goodbye to Caruso following 14 wonderful years with the best Sheltie on earth. The decision to have the vet put him to sleep was one of the most difficult decisions I ever made. Even as I wright this I feel the tears starting as I think of Caruso. We finally got another Sheltie, but Nico doesn't take Caruso's place.

I'm not prone to tears, or "non-manly" reactions, having spent time in Vietnam 40 years ago, and having seen just about everything there is to see during 35 years as a cop, but I cried like a baby in the vet's office for a long time after saying goodbye to Caruso. My wife and I cried together when I got home. For more than a year I couldn't listen to a Dinovite commercial on the radio without tearing up.

It's obvious that Bear meant as much to you and your family as Caruso did to my wife and me and to our family. My grand daughter was only 6 months old when Caruso passed, but she remembers him and says that he isn't dead, he is up in heaven. She and her big brother, who is now almost six, have adjusted to Nico, and I probably will someday, too. But, reading columns like yours and like Budd's, make it all that much harder.

I wish you and your family the best.

Harley B. Rider
Dexter, MI

Link to Budd's column: http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/pilot-talk/grassroots/obituary-for-my-friend.html
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Dear Jen,

I was reading my Sunday paper this morning and came across your column. I don’t know why but I felt compelled to send you an email. I wanted to express my condolences to you and your family for the loss of Bear. We just recently had a very similar experience and I know exactly what you are going through. In our case it was our 14 yr. old cat, Abby. I had gotten her from the pound even before I met my husband, so she was my first child, albeit the four legged kind. She had been there through everything, two more cats, my husband and I meeting, “courting”, getting married, and then we brought home three kids over the years. Right after the new year, she was not eating, which was highly unusual for her. Abby NEVER missed a meal. We took her to the vet for testing, and they ruled out everything else and told us she had cancer. We made the decision to put her to sleep and it was one of the, if not the, worst day of my life. Like Bear, she was still mobile and moving around, but she had lost so much weight and would not eat or drink. We made the appointment and took her in on January 8th. It was hard, but I keep telling myself we made the right decision.

Just like you, we are dealing with getting used to being a one pet household. Our other cat, Phaedrus, still looks for Abby periodically. The kids still ask where Abby is and our 2 year old doesn’t quite understand. Or 4 year old is a little better. She keeps saying that she didn’t want Abby to die, but she had to. I just keep remembering that. She had to, and we helped her to do it with dignity and before she went through too much pain.

Once again, my heartfelt sympathies are with you and your family while you deal with this “bump” in the road. I know it doesn’t make it any better, but you are not alone. Thank you for sharing such an intimate and heartfelt moment in your life with us. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
The Muenz Family - Suzanne, Bob, Daniel, Natalie and Kendra
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Hi Jen -- A co-worker told me of your story about Bear. It really hit home with me. I could barely finish reading it through the tears.

My yellow lab, Bailey got sick at 6-1/2 years old, just as my husband and I were leaving for a 'trip of a lifetime' to Vienna, Austria -- our first trip abroad. She stopped eating a few days before we were to leave on our trip. The vet said it could be a urine infection, as she was leaking urine and not eating well. When she didn't improve, they did some x-rays. The vet (a different one in the same practice) said her x-rays looked like one of a 10 year old dog. What does that mean? He couldn't pinpoint it..... He prescribed multiple medicines, to stimulate appetite, antibiotics, etc. He assured us he would be okay for the 10 days we were gone.

My sister-in-law took care of Bailey while we were away. (She owns a dog from the same litter, Bailey's brother.) She got Bailey to eat a little and she played a bit the first few days. We called my sister-in-law multiple times a day. The vet now recommended an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed multiple tumors inside her chest cavity which didn't show up on the x-rays. He said it was advanced stage cancer and she wouldn't live more than a few more days. How could that be? We were devastated. We tried to get plane tickets home but nothing was available for 4 more days!

The vet recommended we put her down right then instead of waiting. It was the most devastating and heartbreaking thing we've ever done. Not being with our dog while it was happening was unbearable. My sister-in-law stayed with Bailey and petted her while the vet did his part. She put the phone to Bailey's ear so we could talk to her before she was gone.

That was 1-1/2 years ago. It's still so difficult for us. Bailey was not only a part of our family, she was a part of us. (A photo of her is still the background on our cell phones!)

Thank you for sharing your story. I haven't heard of story that was so similar to my own. I hope you, your husband and your children are adjusting and healing.

Sincerely,
Carol DeBeliso
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Hi, Just wanted to say I'm sorry about the loss of your dog Bear, and thank you for writing about it. I was engrossed in every word and I definitely had tears in my eyes after reading the 1st paragraph. I especially related to your description of panic when the time came, and how you wanted to cancel. My sweet dog is up in years and I know thats exactly how I'll be when its her time to go. I so dread that day. I love my sweet and cute little dog more than I care to  admit. I know every dog owner thinks their dog is special, and that goes double for me. I live by myself so it will be especially hard to say goodbye to her, pathetic I know! I doubt I'll have the strength and courage you showed. Thanks again, 
Steve
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Dear Jen,

Your article on your life with Bear and his last days was especially poignant to me as I am one of the co-owners of Bear's mom and dad. From the pictures accompanying your article, it is obvious that Bear greatly resembled his dad, Julio. Julio was a wonderful boy who would "hug" you with his front legs after not seeing you for awhile. Bear's mom, Jazz will be 10 years old the end of February and is living a very spoiled, happy life with 2 cats for long-suffering pets. 

It was obvious from your article how much Bear's loss has affected you. Having gone through something similar just a few months ago, my heart goes out to you. But your memories of him will bring back the smiles. He will be in your heart forever.

Regards,
Judie Weisman
Mihran Goldens
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Jen -

I never thought that I would have tears running down my face at 6:00am on a Sunday morning but your article caused it as I have gone through the same thing. Your article was comforting to me as I could completely relate and not feel alone in the emotions.

You are a talented writer - keep up the good work. 

Chuck Musil -
A2
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Jen-
I wanted to say that I appreciated your article about your dog. I had to take my 14 year old cat in to be euthanized in November, and had a lot of the same emotions. Like, you, I didn't detect anything wrong until a week before they told me she had cancer really badly, and would likely only live a short time, and it would be a bad time. Like you, I felt like an executioner, and felt really guilty about taking her to her death, but when the doctor assured me that she would likely only live another week, even with some temporary treatments to ease her discomfort, I had her put down. One of the worst days of my life. Anyway, I want to say that I appreciated your article, and hope you, your family and Bailey all continue to recover from your loss.
Rick Meader
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Dear Jen,

I just recently read your story about your beloved family pet, a golden retriever named Bear.  I was so sorry to hear that you were faced with that tough decision.  Reading about where your were in the car and saw him in the rearview mirror reminded all too well about the day we had to take our beloved golden, Shadowbear, to the vet for the same tough choice.  Cancer had taken him quickly also and we knew it was the best for him but it was so hard on our family.  That was 3 years ago and I still miss him, and hearing the jingle of his dog tags.  Shadow was like Bear, he was a big golden and so loving and protective.  Sleeping next to my son's bed, gentle with the grandparents (which was a bit hard for him as he was 125 pounds and not really overweight 0 just large stock).

We have another dog now, a black lab named Baily that we got from the Humane Society a year after Shadow was gone.  She is a great dog, but not my Shadow.  Thank you for sharing your story, it reminded me how special he was to us.  I wanted to include two photos for you to see of Shadow and Baily.  Both special in our household too.
Rhonda James
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Jen,
I just read your sad story about the loss of your beloved Bear. I am so sorry that he was taken too early from you by cancer. Your story was very heartfelt and brought me to tears. 

I too had a very similar situation with my 9-year old Golden Retriever, Misty. One day she was a happy, healthy (we thought) dog and the next day, she was vomiting uncontrollably and unable or willing to eat anything. We rushed her to our vet. After several tests and exploratory surgery, she was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer that had spread throughout her insides.

We were devastated, but like you, we did the right thing for Misty. It was so hard and I cried for days, but we didn't want to put her through the pain. The doctor said the same thing Bear's doctor said when we asked how it could have gotten so bad without any signs of illness. She was a people pleaser and didn't want to let us down. Reading your story reminded me of the wonderful dog that she was. Luckily, we still had another dog to love (our now 14-year old Golden who is still going strong), and take care of.

The sadness is always there but the sadness fades over time.

Thanks for sharing your story.
Holly Ryan
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Hi Jen:
 
I found your essay about your dog to be extremely touching.  I was crying at the end of reading your essay.  I don't have a dog right now but I've always loved dogs.  I do have a cat whom I am just crazy about.  We adopted her when she was six months old.  She's now 4 years old.  I have never had a pet before her.  But now everyday, she makes me realize that I just have so much love for her.  I am appreciating the fact that me, as a human, could love a cat so much.  My friends always tease me about how I talk about my cat.  My husband and kids are also crazy about her.  I often think that one day, she may not be with us and I don't know how I am going to deal with it.  Everyday, I would give her plenty of kisses and hugs and would talk to her too.  From what she does particularly to me, I know for sure that she knows how much I love her.  She is an indoor cat so I think she may not even know that she is a cat because she doesn't get to meet other cats.  She probably thinks of us as bigger cats too :)
 
Anyways, I just want to write to you about how much your essay touched my heart.  It makes me want to appreciate our time with our cat even more.  Her name is Mimi.
Cindy Zhou
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Dear Jen, Kevin, Belle, and Wes,

Thank you for sharing your courage, love, and loss with us.
The love of a pet and the love of those who own them cannot fully be explained. As for myself, I feel they are "home" now and I plan to see them someday along with my human loved ones.
Sincerely,
Tom Meyer
Tecumseh, MI
(via a sympathy e-card)