Bear and Peter McKinnon

(Click To Enlarge)

For quite some time after his beloved “ Bosco” passed away, Replacements, Ltd. curator Peter Mckinnon provided foster care for adoption pets. Finally he decided he would try to find a new pet for himself on the internet – for free. And what a pet he found! “Bear” is a 105-pound giant schnauzer.

“I wanted another dog to replace ‘Bosco,’ who had come to work with me for 9 years,” Peter said. “Bosco passed 2 years ago. When I decided I was ready to get another dog, I went looking on Craig’s List. ‘Bear’ was the one I wanted as soon as I saw his picture.”

The couple who had listed the giant schnauzer for adoption had one baby and another child on the way. Their small house didn’t have enough room for their growing family and a big dog. “I was interviewed and told I could have Bear. They even included his dog house!”

Bear came to live at Peter’s home in January. The big black dog was very curious about a large hole in the back yard that was covered with a green tarpaulin. In April when the tarp was removed Bear discovered Peter’s swimming pool.

“I think I should’ve named him ‘Fish’ instead,” Peter said. “He loves to swim! And he has his own float that he lounges on by himself.” Peter has a queen-sized air mattress in the pool that he likes to take naps on. One day the breeze took the mattress close to the edge of the pool, and Bear decided he would join Peter. “Both of us landed in the water,” Peter said. “It was quite a wake-up call!”

When Bear is ready for his walk he will fetch his leash and let Peter know he’s ready to go. “And we have our own sign language,” Peter said. “If I’m in a meeting, I can get Bear to sit, stay, lie down, or come without disrupting the meeting.”

About the Replacements, Ltd. pet-friendly policy, Peter said, “With dogs around a bad day is not that bad. Stress seems to disappear quickly when Bear is here. And if I don’t bring him in, there are other pets just around the corner. It’s a huge bonus to have your loved ones with you.”

“Replacements Ltd. Is a fantastic place to work,” Peter said. “Management really takes care of employees. If something comes up, they’ll ask what the company can do to help. And they mean it. They do a great job with employee benefits – Bear could even have health insurance, if we chose it. The positive feeling we have as employees gets carried over to our customers. I’m truly happy to come into work each day.”