"Bear, you gave me a life, you were my life."
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Border physiotherapist Daniel Searle said a final goodbye in January to his first guide dog, a chocolate Labrador named Bear, after 13 years together.
Bear was a well-known figure in Albury-Wodonga, being acknowledged at Mr Searle's graduation ceremony, given a retirement party that raised more than $3200 for Guide Dogs and even capturing theatre audience hearts in a 2016 production of Annie.
On International Guide Dog Day, Wednesday, April 29, people with vision impairments have been asked to consider "what my guide dog means to me".
Mr Searle has shared some of his feelings this week through a blog he wrote after Bear's death.
"Through all the significant achievements in my life Bear has been there," he said.
"Without you Bear, I don't think I could have pushed myself so much.
"It gave me confidence knowing I had you supporting me every step."
But when the pair first met in 2007, Mr Searle was unsure what having a guide dog would entail.
"The thing that stood out immediately, he had a massive head and the softest ears, it was immediately obvious why he was called Bear," he recalled.
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"Early days were not without its challenges, a few toileting problems, accidents on footpaths and a couple times in shopping centres, left me frustrated and embarrassed.
"But it was always hard to stay mad at Bear for long."
Mr Searle said his guide dog adjusted well to tertiary life at Charles Sturt University and coped with the bow ties and party hats inflicted upon him for parties.
After guiding his owner to wherever they needed to be on campus, Bear would relax under the chair, sometimes a little too much.
"Lectures may be momentarily interrupted by the sound of Bear snoring or making funny noises in his sleep, well, it kept the lecturers on their toes and always kept the mood light," Mr Searle said.
In 2015 and now in the workforce, Mr Searle realised Bear, then aged about 10, couldn't continue his own job much longer.
But the Labrador took a little time to adjust to retirement, even after the arrival of new guide dog Frodo.
"It broke my heart when you would come to the door, ready to leave, not understanding why you could not still take me," Mr Searle wrote in his blog.
The physiotherapist felt "like a proud parent" when Bear wowed audiences in Annie, staged by Livid Productions.
"I heard a whole theatre collectively gush 'oooooohhhh' and every performance without fail you got the loudest applause at the end when you came out to bow," he remembered.
Last month Livid Productions dedicated its performance of Spamalot at Albury Entertainment Centre to Bear and shared in the show program an email received during Annie preparations.
In the message Bear said he had just learned the musical included a dog and was devastated to have missed auditions.
"So knowing that you have no doubt already cast this glorious character, I just wanted to offer, should your dog pull out at the last minute, I am happy to make myself available," the email went on.
"I am handsome, brown, intelligent and take instructions well."
Bear's health declined in his final months, but Mr Searle had time to thank his beloved dog before the end.
"You have given me more than I could have ever dreamt of," he said.
"My first guide dog; I know no other dog will ever be the same."
