The Bear Project is the culmination of a labor of love that developed over a period of 13 months during our efforts to capture Bear, aka Cornbread. When we learned about Bear, he had been living in a junkyard, was terrified of people, and had eluded several previous attempts to capture him. When we began our efforts, we had no idea the patience and dedication that would be required to bring him to safety.

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So a black dog we called Cornbread solidified our mission. When we first heard about him, we went to the junkyard where he was living to assess his situation. We sat and watched and fed him while trying to formulate a plan to capture him and get him into a rescue. Little did we know that day how hard that would be, but we never gave up. We returned every day to feed him and win his trust; we set up traps; we placed cameras to learn his routine…we tried it all! As time went on, we would make amazing progress, only to have him revert back to a scared and timid dog, afraid of his own shadow. He was a frightened dog, living in an environment with turmoil, and with every setback, our resolve deepened—what we knew was that giving up was never an option. 

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We were fortunate enough to have friends who would come to help and support us. Eventually, the owners and workers at the junkyard also began watching out for him. As time went on, we realized that when people see others care, they begin to care, too. The community became invested in this sweet, frightened dog that had no idea what kind of following he was building. 

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During this time, we received calls about other dogs that would also show up at the junkyard that needed help. We worked to capture them and found them safe homes. We soon discovered that people were following along with us on social media and were rooting for us to help this one dog — through him, they helped us help other dogs along the way. People also started to reach out to us more often for assistance, and we were compelled to do as much as we could to help others in a caring and responsible way. 

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Finally, the day came when we did catch Cornbread! Through another friend in rescue, we reached Eldad and Lisa with Hope for Paws, who came out to meet us and provide advice and tell us we were on the right track. Their expertise proved invaluable, and we were shocked that — after all of the worry, tears, and time invested over the past 13 months — how smooth and calm his actual rescue was. Bear was ready, and it was his time!

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When Cornbread was finally caught, he was taken to the Veterinary Clinic for a bath and vetting, as well as a scan for a microchip. To our surprise, he was microchipped! We found out his name was Bear. He had been lost for over two and a half years after a car accident had spooked him, and he bolted from the car. His owners had searched for him, doing all they knew how to do, but never gave up hope. They kept Bear's microchip up to date, and because of that, he was able to be reunited with his family. A terrified dog had come back to life and returned home to the family that loved him.

 

The Veterinary Clinic is always so encouraging and friendly, and they believe in what the Bear Project is doing. Eventually, they decided to come alongside us and offer their help in any way they could. They met with us, guided us, and, most of all, encouraged us to expand our vision. We could not ask for a better group of people to be aligned with as we take our next step to becoming The Bear Project. 

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The Bear Project has grown, and we know that together, we can all make a greater difference. By helping our neighbors become more knowledgeable while advocating for responsible pet ownership. We know this is just the beginning!