Buried in the Snow

I was trekking across the tundra when something burst out of the snow rushing up and knocking me down a polar bear kind of smallish maybe a juvenile and the bear pressed its head against my chest as a prelude I assume to devouring me but rather than struggle or scream I reached up and pulled the bear's head down to my chest and started scratching behind its ears saying it's okay it's okay as the bear grumbled deep in its throat it's okay it's okay this went on for a while it's okay it's okay grumble grumble until finally the bear stopped grumbling its head heavy on my ribs and I couldn't tell if it was awake or asleep or if any moment now it would rise up and slap me with those seal-killing paws and break my neck but then the bear rose only now it was not a bear but Kodiak the Alaskan malamute we kept many years ago and I rubbed Kody's neck the way she used to like it saying it's okay girl it's okay and she got the same serious look on her face and if I stopped I knew she would growl demanding more and I'm marveling at the detail I mean it looked and felt just like a malamute though maybe it was a bit too fluffy and gray for Kody anyway there was no way for me to tell whether this was real or not though when I looked into the eyes I knew I mean it was obvious they can never get the eyes right still I kept rubbing saying it's okay it's okay as the shadow came from behind and I knew it wasn't okay a man in a white jacket with a needle was coming and my role was to hold her head as her nails scratched the stainless steel bed and calm her down pretend this wasn't really happening and why do they have to dig this up now?