Cast of characters

Bea –mom bear to puppies & Scruffles Part 1&2

Sweet Puppy– from Part 1&2 invited by Bea to live in cave

Scruffles–  from Part 1&2 invited by Bea to live in cave (RIP)

Doolie –mom bear to puppies from Part 2

Benny–miniature sheep dog  from Part 2  (RIP)

Annie–Brussels Griffon from Part 2 (RIP)

Maddie–3-legged Brussels Griffon from Part 2

Buddy bear--friend of Doolie & Bea who worked with troubled puppies 

Zoe– Tibetan Terrier from Part 2 Like foster kid who gets moved around a lot

         She lived with Doolie & her crew, then Bea & Sweet Puppy, 

         & finally to live with Buddy bear & her puppy Stormy

Stormy- lived with Buddy bear

Willow–counseling tree (metaphor for people who help children) Part 1&2

Previously:
The opportunity arose for Bea’s plan to be tested. Sweet Puppy and her mom were going to stay at Doolie’s for an extended period of time. That meant Zoe would be spending a greater number of days with Buddy bear and Stormy.

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Buddy bear isn’t sure what is going on in Zoe’s busy head, but suspects it is not safe. Although, Zoe may have seen it as safe for her, possibly a way out. Neither of them discussed anything about it. Buddy bear just watched Zoe more closely as plans were hatched.    

When she stayed with them, Zoe seemed to be adjusting and conforming, leaving Stormy alone.   Buddy bear found things Zoe liked to eat and knew how to talk with her. That clever mom bear actually got her to talk about why she didn’t eat. 

Zoe became aware of a fact she could not deny. Refusing to eat was a way of keeping herself safe with no one able to tell her what to do. When Buddy bear heard this, it was similar to what was claimed by the other non-eating animals she had helped in the past.

She explained to Zoe as she had others, that it was only in her imagination that she was stopping anyone from telling her what to do. Buddy bear wanted Zoe to realize this attitude and behavior made her more unhappy. 

She was fairly certain what Zoe would say if she asked about hunger. As others had told her, Zoe said the empty feeling in her stomach kept her from thinking about how unhappy she was and how little she liked herself. 

Both Stormy and Buddy bear reassured her that if she hung around them, she’d begin to feel better about herself and would want to eat. Zoe, said she’d try. Buddy bear knew the same as Willow that trying leaves two choices.

When someone tries, they either succeed or fail, there’s no in-between. If we work at something, it’s little by little. We gradually arrive and can feel successful. By Zoe saying she’d try, it meant nothing.

Buddy bear knew that most times when the animals she worked with said that they would try, they probably weren’t going to do anything. She was still quite concerned what was going to happen with that situation.

Her suspicions grow when she does her notice exercise while they are on their walks. Stormy even mentions he had a weird feeling about the way Zoe acted when they were in a specific area of the woods.

Tensions heightened for Buddy bear and Stormy. What they had discussed and practiced was going to soon become real. Bea and Sweet Puppy were moving in with Doolie and Maddie.

They’d been going to Doolie’s so much, she asked Bea if she and Sweet Puppy were ready to move in with her and Maddy. Bea was thrilled. Annie was thrilled. Her crush on Sweet Puppy had only grown stronger. 

Maddie was growing on Sweet Puppy. Since there was no Annie to distract her, Sweet Puppy noticed Maddie. She realized what a funny personality and courage she had. It stopped Sweet Puppy from feeling sorry for herself every time. She just had to look over at Maddie’s three legs and then look down at her own four legs and be thankful.

*****

Bea’s packing for Sweet Puppy and her new home with Maddie and Doolie was interrupted by a mysterious disruption outside her cave. The howling and yelping of some wounded animal sounded very near.

Curious and concerned, doing her investigation exercise, Bea looked toward the opening of her cave home. She needed to discover what the cause of the cacophonous commotion was. When she stepped outside, her wee bear eyes grew large with disbelief and concern. 

Bea wondered why this little, fragile one would have come all this way? What could have happened. She was crying and shaking so severely that Bea could not understand a word she was saying. 

The dear creature had tipped over onto the hard packed dirt, but didn’t seem to notice the stones digging into her thin fur and skin. Something dreadful had numbed her to anything in her surroundings.

Bea didn’t quite know what to do. She tried getting the sobbing puppy’s attention. She remembered how as a young pup, she and her mom were in a wide field during a vicious thunder and lightning storm. She was so frantic, her mom could only get her attention by kindly looking her right in her eyes.

Doing her notice exercise, Bea observes the same terror in the sobbing and curling up posture she had demonstrated long ago on that fated day. Her attention sharpened with her eyes fixed toward the longing, tear filled face in front of her.

Remembering how difficult it was to see her mother through her clouded tears, Bea isn’t even sure if she could be seen now. This wee bear, was hesitant to disturb Sweet Puppy, who had been ailing with pain lately. 

She’d never be able to make the long required trek. The caring, conflicted mom didn’t feel right leaving Sweet Puppy alone. This was no time for her puppy to feel abandoned. She was the mom who was supposed to protect her little one.   

The greatly conflicted wee bear glances in the direction of a weakened, resting Sweet Puppy, then at the defenseless creature rolling around on the packed dirt in front of her.