By Velia Tarnoff Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Oct 04, 2007 at 9:23 AM

Meet Bear. Your life will be better for it. This beautiful, 7-year-old chow chow/border collie mix is a very special dog.

He talks with his eyes. In fact, he "said" to my source at the Wisconsin Humane Society, "You're the greatest thing that ever lived. Will you love me? Please?" My source wishes her house were bigger. (Don't we all? We'd each have about a half dozen pets. For starters.)

Of course, all the dogs at WHS have special and unique qualities, but Bear is really going to bring an unbelievable amount of joy into someone's life.

Spend one hour with Bear and you'll find him to be the calmest, most polite, most attentive and affectionate dog you could possibly imagine. Bear loves to go for car rides, meet new people and make new friends. He is gentle with kids and has even lived with cats! He has a thick coat that will require regular brushing, which he delights in. He takes pride in his handsome coat and eagerly submits to brushing, nail-clipping and grooming.

As his name might indicate, Bear isn't interested in marathon running these days. He would prefer laid-back guardians who will take him on the occasional stroll around town and maybe to the dog park once in a while. He'll also welcome squeaky toys and low-fat treats.

All of the Wisconsin Humane Society's dogs have been microchipped, vaccinated and sterilized. Each dog also comes with one free month of health insurance. Contact us at www.wihumane.org or 414-ANIMALS.

Velia Tarnoff Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Velia Tarnoff counts among the loves of her life her daughter, her husband, her friends, writing, developing theories, dancing, live music, Southern California, black coffee and red wine. She's happiest when she can put as many of those together as possible. WWith more than 20 years of experience as a radio reporter and public relations professional, Velia is a natural communicator who loves to hear stories, to share stories and to tell it like it is.

Velia earned her B.A. from the UW School of Journalism and is thankful for every moment she spent on that wonderfully wacky campus.

And, in the interest of full disclosure, Velia is the wife of OnMilwaukee.com Publisher Andy Tarnoff.