There are mutts, and then there's Barney!
Take a look at this guy. I think only a DNA test could reveal Barney's ancestry, although a look at his front legs and body shape certainly suggest there's a Bassett Hound somewhere along the line.
Barney has it pretty good right now,
but for awhile Barney's story was a rather downcast one.
He found himself at the Hillside SPCA, which is the same shelter where we got Wiley. Lots of other dogs we've featured on here have come from Hillside, including Fanny and Rosco. Although dogs are usually (if they're not sick or aggressive) given the chance to run free within the yard at Hillside, Barney didn't even want to. All he did was lie around in a crate, getting sadder with each passing week.
Eventually he didn't even want to come out when called, and a sad dog lying around unresponsive in a crate is hardly the kind who is going to attract adopters.
That's where Chris comes in. Chris had been volunteering with his mom and step-dad at the Hillside. He would walk dogs and play with them and just generally keep them company. In fact, here he is with Fanny (top picture)! He posted this picture of her on his Facebook wall a few weeks before she was adopted by Luke and Kim.
He also posted lots of other pictures encouraging people to go check out the dogs, even though he didn't have one himself. Eventually the Hillside staff asked him if he wanted to spend some time with Barney, and that's when these two guys met their doggie destiny. The usually reluctant Barney came out of his crate and walked right up to Chris, wagging his tail the whole time!
The workers asked Chris if he would consider fostering Barney for a bit, just because he seemed so down in the shelter. Chris said yes, and Barney's future was locked in. Barney was destined to be a FOSTER FAILURE, and there's nothing wrong with that!
Barney and Chris have been together for awhile now. Chris has learned that Barney loves sleeping and snacks, but also enjoys his rope toys and bones.
He gets excited when Chris's dad visits because that means they're going on a hike, and he also likes the cheeseburgers he gets from Chris's mom, Leona, when she visits. His mom has her own inspirational story; you can read about it here.
Barney loves Chris's step-dad, whom he's sleeping on here,
and he also keeps a pretty consistent window vigil when he's not sleeping.
Chris and Barney are best buddies.
Barney follows Chris around when he's home, often lying right at his feet.
Or begging for peanut butter!
Or just hogging up the sofa, even when Chris is trying to sleep on it too.
Barney went from being a nervous boy on the way home in the car
to a contented pup who knows he's loved and wanted.
What a happy story for Barney and for us!
Thanks to Chris for sharing his story with us and his home with Barney. Please take a moment to read Chris's mom's story too, to see if you can help. You can find her at the bottom right of the main page of the Hillside SPCA.
Don't forget to share your rescue stories with me! I will be glad to share your stories and pictures with everyone here on the blog. Email me at pabibliophile@gmail.com.
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