Good By My Little Bark

Sad time in Penny town - beside being ill most of the week yesterday we had to put down our much love Boarder Collie, Barkley. So today I will tell you the story of how I got Barkley. Barkley wasn’t the demon dog that the Joner was after all he was a boarder collie, whos sole purpose for living is to please. I was living in Texas working on decommissioning the Super Collider, yes that is some of the type of work I did for our government. Anyway I’m living in Texas on about an acre of fenced property with lovely pecan trees, reason for the fence. But when I rented the place I thought a 6 foot chain link fence would keep an Alaskan Malamute in, I was wrong. The local animal control officer (John) got to know each other on first name bases, I had work out a deal that in lieu of him writing me citation after citation, I would make a monthly donation to his shelter and he would just pick the Joner up and ride him around in the truck when he escaped, this he did often. I would make the repairs and adjustment to the fence that John felt were needed to keep a Malamute home. Well we decided that the Joner was lonely, Malamute are pack animals and maybe if he had a pack he would stay home. (Getting you pet a pet is not a good idea) But that was the game plan, so week after week I would go to the shelter and watch as John would bring out a puppy or older dog only to have it be scared of my Malamute. Malamute aren’t exactly small dogs, and there wasn’t an abundance of them running around central Texas, to the best of my knowledge Joner was the one and only and he did his best to roam the entire county, much to the chagrin of John and I. So one day I get a call from John, and he says he has the perfect dog for the Joner, besides he really needs my help, could I stop that evening after work. I agree so after work I stop at the house and load up my malamute to go and try yet another dog for Joner to scare. Well we pull in and John leads us into a room of these eight little fuzz balls. Three run away to the far end of the room and two cower behind John, two more swat and pee, and one brave little pup give a playful little bark and starts playing with this monster of a dog, as if that is the most natural thing in the world. I tell John yep I take the little bark, (Barkley). He give me these big sad puppy dog eyes and says he needs me to take all eight puppies. I explained I live in a rented house and I’m not sure how the owner would take to eight puppies. He somehow or another convinces me to take all eight and that the next weekend at the town fair he will see if he can’t find homes for them all. Joners was in heaven and by the weeks end all eight were playing with him, but it was still Barkley who would always be first. The seven other little fuzz ball would huddle together , Barkley would cuddle up to the big hairy malamute at the foot of my bed, as if he knew he was to stay with the Joner. John was good to his word and on Saturday we cleaned the little boarder collie pups up and got them new little colored collars and leashes and a wagon that we hooked up to be pulled by a Malamute with a sign stating “Boarder Collie Puppies in need of a Good Home“. By the end of the day John managed to adopt out all seven of the remaining puppies. If I had know how wonderful and easy Boarder Collie were (well compared to Malamutes) I would have been tempted to keep more than one. But Barkley managed to bring joy and love to my life since 1989 that’s right nearly 20 years, so it is time to let the old dog rest. He will be joining the Joner, and Reggie, and three of the brother’s dog out on the farm, in a spot that is make just for them with a brook, and a bench, and a lovely view where you can sit and reflect.

Dogs have given us their absolute all.We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the bestdeal man has ever made.?Roger Caras