Dancing Bear

Photos © 2009 - Mission:Wolf

Dancing Bear (a.k.a. Cookie, Little Bear, and Cookie Bear) was born on January 2, 1990.  Her parents came from New Jersey and were from a long line of documented wolf-dog crosses.  As a little pup, Bear resembled a bear cub and did a little dance as she was fed from a bottle.  Although she was small in size, she was big in heart and voice.  She earned the nickname “snapping turtle” for her display of teeth as she defended her food and territory. 

As a youngster, Bear traveled with Mission:Wolf’s Ambassador Wolf program for a short time.  She is probably best known for her appearance on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood as a small pup.  Cookie danced around the stage in her usual fashion, stealing the show.  As she grew and retired from traveling, Bear moved in with her sister, Ghost Dancer, and a pure wolf named Shaman.  The two girls became known as the “cackle sisters” because of their incessant bickering over food, hierarchy and attention.  No one could enter their enclosure for fear of setting them off in a true battle.

Bear struggled with health issues her whole life.  After years of worrying about her weight and skin irritations, Bear’s caretakers finally discovered that she had numerous food allergies.  While wolves do not generally suffer from this problem, many domestic dogs and wolf-dog crosses have to spend their lives on special diets.  Cookie was soon restricted to eating ground turkey, cooked vegetables and rice.  In February 2003, Bear’s worn out digestive system stopped working properly.  It was only through the constant and dedicated care of her caretakers that Bear made a short recovery.  In early April she rebounded and had one of the happiest and most active months in two year.  Then, one day in June 2003, Cookie quietly passed away.