little me was so confused & annoyed when i found out that bears do not come in small, domestic sizes. my favorite plushie was a teddy bear; i planned to own a pet bear when i grew up. i assumed bears would come in a range of sized, like dogs. ideally mine would be about the size of winnie the pooh/a small child. they would be heavy but still capable of sitting on my lap while i rubbed their belly. they would have a little playground set in the backyard. we would go for walks in the forest and have picnics. i had solid reasonings:
1) my stuffed animals were mostly dogs and cats and bears, implying that bears were a future pet option
2) bears were more human shaped than dogs or cats so naturally they were both capable of both domesticity and humanlike behavior. i envisioned it like having a short lil buddy with the intelligence of a small child. a little pal i could cuddle with who would hang out with me at the beach on weekends. we would go on a road trip together. we would have tea parties together, which would be cute bc bears don't drink tea or have the dexterity to sip from a teacup, but they are smart enough to be taught to hold a (very very sturdy) cup between their paws and pretend. i was going to wear straw hats and we would sit in the garden, my little pet bear and me. these were concrete plans i had and yet i must live here in this petty thieving devastation of a reality, where tiny bears do not frolick and lick jam off my fingers.
I know it’s not the same, but may I suggest: Tibetan Mastiffs
no see i want a miniature bear. miniature
the smallest bear alive right now is the sun bear, a tree climbing expert living in tropical climate. a quick research produced this image.
they are also pretty cute
this!!! precisely this!!!! i shall put them in a little hat and teach them to hold a teacup with their pinky paw extended. marvelous!!!!!
i’d also like to add that owning a grizzly bear would probably be safer and less destructive than owning a tibetan mastiff. those things are beasts. rip to your furniture
