REFLECTIONS

First Lutheran Church Visitation pastor Richard Hegal said his comfortable townhome in Blooming Prairie seemed empty after he lost his wife, Norma, and their tiny Pomeranian named Spirit.

The emptiness has been replaced by a little commodity named Grizzly.

Grizzly has already made his presence known in Blooming Prairie. He is a black Pom who graces the neighborhood in the southwest part of BP. His bark is a muzzled version of typical Pom.

Hegal has always been a dog lover. Some of his dogs were: Jack, Frisky, Tyson, Spirit, and now, Grizzly. His granddaughter, a student at Winona State University, asked Grandma Norma if they could keep Spirit.

“I may have said ‘no’ in the beginning, and Spirit became Norma’s dog,” he said.

Last Thanksgiving, Spirit died.

“I said no more dogs, but that did not hold true,” Hegal said. “The house was so quiet and empty.”

Hegal looked for a dog that would be a twin to Tyson and Spirit. He found one in Chicago, but he ruled that out because of the distance.

Meeting Grizzly

He then visited Redemption Road, an animal rescue agency in St. Paul. That’s when Grizzly came forward. His foster parent invited Hegal to meet Grizzly. She already had two dogs and two cats.

He acknowledged Grizzly would be coming home with him by asking, “Who do I pay?”

“We got along right away,” beamed Hegal.

His references were cleared, and Grizzly was checked by a local veterinarian. Hegal says Grizzly doesn’t like squirrels and rabbits.

The bond between Hegal and Grizzly has developed quite quickly. When Hegal said, “Let’s go to bed,” Grizzly heeded that order and went to the bedroom, jumped onto the bed, and was ready for the night.

Hegal and Grizzly also go on two to three walks daily around their garden pond.

“We have become so close,” Hegal said.