Thursday, February 18, 2010 - Barney

The internet is a powerful and dangerous and wonderful thing. That's for sure! In my life it has been an avenue for people (my siblings) to hurt me. It has been "the information superhighway" when I needed to know things. It has also been the resource that brought me my sweet, beloved, beautiful dog Barney. As I told you yesterday, shortly after we acquired my niece's two dogs, Max and Tucker, we lost Max to angiosarcoma. Poor Tucker was lost without his brother and, after about 2 months, I began considering getting another dog as a playmate for Tucker. Yes, we had 5 other dogs, but Wrigley, Harry and Dawson hated Tucker and Charlie and Gretchen were really too little to play with him. One day I logged onto my Facebook page and there was a posting by an animal rescue group about a dog in North Carolina named Barney. It told the story of this little dog, a black lab mix of some kind, who had been tied to a tree for the entire 8 years of his life. One fateful day, the land adjacent to Barney's "home" was purchased and the new owner's granddaughter saw Barney. Instead of being like countless others who saw this little dog and walked away, she decided to take the bull by the horns and help him. She befriended the owner, who admitted to beating Barney with sticks, and was able to get him to safety. From there, she made sure he had veterinary care and she worked with a local rescue group to put him up for adoption. That's where I came in. Barney was not necessarily the "big" dog I was looking for to play with Tucker (Barn weighs about 40lbs) but he has the spunk and the fearlessness.



So we processed the adoption and I met Sarah, Barney's rescuer and foster mom. I am always amazed by animal rescue. In the last few years, I have met some of the most outstanding human beings ever put on Earth. Sarah is one of those people. She didn't HAVE to save Barney. She didn't HAVE to take him to the vet. She didn't HAVE to try to find him a better home. She could have just kept walking. But she didn't and she changed Barney's life forever.



So then we had the question of how to transport Barney from North Carolina to Wisconsin. We looked into horse people traveling to Kentucky with the plan that I would meet them in Louisville. It seemed like every time we got close, something would fall through. So finally, I just decided to rent a car and go get him. My good friend Lisa and I held a fundraising garage sale with the help of all my friends who donated items and, in one weekend, raised enough money for my trip. I left for North Carolina at about 6am on Thursday, August 20. Gretchen the dachshund and I made the 16 hour drive, ending at my niece Rachel's house in King, NC at about 1am Friday morning. (Gretchen was supposed to keep me company but slept the whole way!)

I was met by my niece's husband Brian who showed me to the spare bedroom. I think Gretchen and I were both asleep by 1:15! We woke promptly at 6:30 and grabbed a shower before saying a quick hello to my niece and my great-niece Madelyn. Then, it was off to get Barney. I met Sarah in Hickory, NC and instantly fell head over heels in love with little Barney. It still amazes me that this dog, who has been through such horrible circumstances, has a loving spirit and happy disposition. It took all of 1 day to house train Barney. He is extremely intelligent and eager to learn.

We arrived back in Wisconsin at 6am on Saturday morning after sleeping at a rest area for 3 hours along the way. I know it sounds like a grueling drive, but it was SO worth it. I came home with the coolest dog on the planet. Barney definitely has black lab in him (you can see it in his head) but he is perched on short stubby legs and only stands about as tall as a beagle. My vet thinks he is mixed with a Welsh Corgi, if you can imagine that.

It has been my honor and privilege to be Barney's mom and I thank God every day for bringing him, first to Sarah and then to me. Not everything has been easy. When Barney first arrived, he had no manners at all and has required a lot of training. But he learns very quickly. He has even learned to swim. Perhaps the most heartbreaking thing about Barney is that, when he first arrived 6 months ago and up until recently, he would not sleep on anything soft. He would not sleep on my bed. He would not sleep on a blanket. He would not sleep on a dog bed. No matter what I tried, he would climb off and go lay on the hard floor. It was as if he did not believe he was worthy of being treated kindly. I am happy to say though that he now sleeps on my bed. It took a lot of coaxing and a lot of reassurance, but now he jumps right up and curls up. It's awesome.

So that is my Barney...my Barn Man...my Barn Barn....my Barney Rubble...one of the great loves of my life. Stay tuned tomorrow and I will tell you all about Gretchen the neurotic weiner dog.

Have a blessed day and thanks for reading.