Barney

Barney. This dog was born and raised as a beagle named "Lou". He was not good enough to breed as determined by the handler because his one toenail got stuck in a kennel when he was little and it's considered a "defect" because it was torn. We got him when he was 6 months old from a second party who tried to make him into a hunting dog. That didn't take, so for the price of a 1/2 a tank of gas and a collar we went and picked him up and pawned him off as Jeff's birthday present. Jeff griped about having to take care of the dog, but the kids taught him to poop in the flower beds so there's no poo in the yard.

Barney is gun shy, balloon shy and most recently afraid of a can of Redi Whip. He loves what's in it, but the sight of the can makes him cower and head for a corner. He literally shakes. You put a little Redi Whip on your finger and he will come and lick it off, only when the can is out of his sight. We're not quite sure exactly how this dog was "trained" before we got him, but he's the most gentle, patient dog who seldom barks and his only vice is chewing up Catherine's unmentionables and stalking her. Catherine can't leave the room for a minute. If she's in the bathroom, he lays down outside the door. Doesn't whimper or whine, just waits patiently until she comes out.

He fits into our family perfectly. He loves other animals and was pretty upset when he accidentally killed a squirrel. (that's another story) He adopted a bunch of newborn bunnies a year or two back. He cared for them, kept them clean and spent the summer mornings just listening and watching the nest, which was right smack dab in the middle of our back yard. He woudl uncover them,lock them to clean them, then cover them back up. When the bunnies grew and left, Barney still maintained his post waiting for some to come back.

Last Saturday Jeff took the boys to the Monster Truck show at the Metrodome, Catherine was at a sleepover and it was just Barney and I watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, both of us on the floor huddled by the heating duct (the only warm spot in the house.)

Barney got up, went to the patio door and sat, I knew he needed to go out. It was about 10 degrees and the wind was blowing pretty hard. It was the first really cold night of the year. I opened the door and Barney got his two front paws out, sniffed and backed up. He squatted and piddled on the floor, backed up again and laid down, rolled on his back and looked up at me. All I could do was laugh. It was too cold to go outside and when he knows he's in trouble (all you have to do is say his name in a low growl and point) at him he rolls onto his back as to beg for mercy.

Yes, he's a wienie. He sleeps between Jeff's feet completely covered by a sleeping bag, if he's not there, he's in Catherine's room doing the same thing to her. She's getting too tall for the bed, so there isn't enough room anymore. The kids dress him up for every holiday, or just for something to do. Barney can be found walking around in Steve's boxers one day then with a Superman cape the next. Steve's painted his nails, Catherine has "styled" his ears and Dan has put him in his reindeer and Santa outfits and taken him on walks. Catherine had a ball this Halloween. Barney actually walked around the house with this mask on. All in all a very patient dog.