Four years ago this month a scruffy white dog suddenly showed up in our front yard. He wrapped his front legs around mine as if to say “I live here now”. Collar, no tags, so I took him inside. Although more like he led me inside and promptly hopped into my mom’s chair. With no idea of his name Barney popped into my head and he answered to it immediately. I put the found dog word out but didn’t hear anything. And then I hoped no one would call.
Friends said he was sent to me since my Bogie was almost 18 and not doing well. But when his owner who turned out to live down the street finally put up signs three weeks later. I didn’t want to give him back, but I did the right thing. Turned out it was the right thing since she called me two days later and asked me if I wanted Barney for good, who she’d named Simon (Simon, really?}, for good. I was down there right away and Barney looked at me with a ‘where have you been?’ expression. Until then I had no idea he was a white purebred mini Schnauzer. I kept him in a puppy cut because it suited his personality.
Seven months later Bogie went to Rainbow Bridge and Barney did ease the pain.
He was my funny dorky puppy who loved to cuddle, who had his quirks and had the happiest personality. He loved people, especially women. He never shied away from my mom even near the end when many dogs won’t go near a human who’s dying.
And when Katie, another white mini Schnauzer who was a little over a year old, came to live with us in October 2011, a gift from one of the clerks at the hospice office, Barney had a playmate.
Barney was so special, loving, he loved to dance, even dancing backwards.
But little did I know a foxtail had made its way into his lungs causing a lesion and that would ultimately be the cause of his death.
Making that final decision was so hard. With Bogie I knew his time had come and I needed to be released. But Barney was only six and had so much energy. We were with him at the end, even Katie touched his nose with hers. The emergency clinic was wonderful, caring, ensuring he was never in distress even during that final hypodermic.
It hurts so much and I haven’t stopped crying for the last few days. I know there are people out there who’d say “but he was only a dog”. No, he wasn’t. He was company, entertainment, and comfort after my mom died.
He will be missed by all of us in the Wisdom household. Syd, our Amazon yellow nape, has been saying “ow” a lot. Even he misses Barney.
But Barney is with Bogie and our other dogs and so many other puppies and kitties up there. And he’s in my heart.
