Hi, I’m Bear. I’m a 13 year old mini Schnauzer. You may have seen me around the neighborhood, I have lived here for four years. If you haven’t seen me, you have almost certainly heard me. See, I’m a screamer. I scream at people and dogs and bags blowing in the wind. And I scream loudly and joyfully and well after the excitement has passed. It may sound like I am in pain or angry, but nope. I am excited and happy to see you and thoroughly lacking in impulse control (my trainer says this is just who I am and no amount of training will train the joyful scream out of me). And for some reason, as I have grown older, I have also grown louder and most likely to open my mouth and scream at the least provocation. Lately, and perhaps because I’ve been screaming (my people call it “singing”) more than I used to, some neighbors have expressed concern, and come to check on me. My people appreciate the concern and they are comforted to think that a neighbor would intervene if I was really in trouble. But they want you to know that this is just me being me: screaming loudly and joyfully at every thing that passes my window and my line of sight. If you see me (or hear me), please come say hi. I’ll scream at you in excitement and joy and beg you for a pet and then we can part as new best friends. Yours truly, Bear Erin Marie Williams-Hatala, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Biology | chathamUNIVERSITY