Remembering Barkley

Some very sad news to share - we learned of our first foster loss yesterday. Barkley (aka Benji), our second foster dog, got away from his dog walker Saturday and ran into traffic. He didn't make it. His mom, Susan, is absolutely devastated by the horrible loss of her best friend. Barkley had a wonderful two years with her - adventures at the beach, trips to the snow, hikes, dog parks, epic Halloween costumes, and SO much love. He was an only child, the apple of his mom's eye, and her constant companion. That's what we have to focus on: all the good things this dog experienced because of his rescue and adoption.

We have a lot of foster dogs out there living their forever lives, so it's sort of inevitable that we get this type of news at some point. I just didn't expect it to be Barkley. He was maybe a year old when we pulled him from the shelter, so he'd be around 3-4 years old now. It's heartbreaking to think of his life being stolen like this, but it's comforting to think of how much he is missed. This little unwanted dog who was so shy and shutdown in the shelter went from a life of the unknown to a life of love and joy. Barkley brought us so much joy during the month we fostered him and I know his mom feels the same way about their time together. I just wish it could have been 12 years together instead of 2. Regardless, knowing that he got to have this amazing life full of love is what we all must remember. Susan - you rescued a dog who deserved your love and you'd have given him the moon if you could have. Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts, for loving Benji. We are so sorry it ends this way, but eternally grateful that it ever even began in the first place.

Barkley's Happy Tail

Love at first sight!

Just three days after he arrived at See Spot Rescued in Jersey City, Barkley went home with his furever mom! We are SO excited for Barkley, now named Benji (since he's a Basenji!), and his new mom. Best wishes to you, little buddy! We just know you've got a wonderful life full of laughter and love ahead! Huge thanks go out to Barkley's new mom, everyone at SSR, K9dergarten, the FODA transport crew, and the folks at DeKalb County Animal Services. All of these amazing people played a part in Barkley's bright future. These pictures (thanks to SSR photog and new mom's facebook) show just how grateful he is. PAWS UP for Barkley!

 

Settling in at home

Hanging out at K9dergarten

Look at my new jacket from Mom!

Let's go, Mom!

 

Bon Voyage, Barkley

Today marks the beginning of the rest of Barkley's exciting journey: he went on transport with Friends of DeKalb Animals this afternoon! Barkley is on the FODA van en route to Jersey City, New Jersey as I type this post. The rescue group that is taking him is called See Spot Rescued. SSR is a fabulous group! They are new to the DeKalb/FODA transport circle and we are all so excited to have them help us save more lives. SSR is so awesome...Barkley already has people scheduled to meet him when he arrives in NJ tomorrow! SSR, like Pets Alive, is dedicated to finding well-matched loving homes for the dogs in their program so that they can finally have the wonderful lives they deserve. I know Barks is destined for happiness, love, safety, and comfort. We are so excited for him!

 

No new fosters for us today...we are taking a week's break to rest and love on our own dogs for a bit. Next Saturday our adventure will begin anew. Who knows what lies ahead? The house is quiet without Barks, almost too quiet. He brought so much excitement and joy to our family and I know he will bless his forever home just the same. We're going to miss that crazy little love booger, but we know SSR has big plans for him. We love you, Broccoli! Congratulations on your new beginning!

Barkley boarding the FODA van

To learn more about Barkley's rescue group, visit: https://www.facebook.com/seespotrescued

Here are a couple bonus videos of Barkley. Enjoy!

Doggy Adventures: RC Car Fun

Barkley is really smart. Too smart. There isn't a doggy brain puzzler toy out there that can stump him. He needs something that will keep him actively engaged for more than five minutes. So, we picked up a cheapo remote control car. Barks was kind of afraid of it, but it definitely held his interest once we spiced it up by taping his stuffing-free fox toy to it. All the other dogs joined in on the fun before long, even Flea. Check out the video to see Barkley and friends try to figure out the RC Car. I have to point out that Barkley is the only dog not barking. You'll hear us call him Broccoli in the video...this is one of his many nicknames. You'll also see why we usually leave Flea out of the mix for these types of events. It worked: all 4 dogs are now sleeping soundly, hurray! Enjoy!

If you're interested in adopting Barkley, please email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov
Here is his Petfinder page with more info: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/25043403-Barkley_In-Foster-Basenji-Dog-Decatur-GA

1 Week Update on Barkley

We are seven days in and Barkley is doing very well. He and Oliver have become pretty good buddies. They're a perfect tug o' war match and they love to wrestle. Mr. Barks has a ton of energy. He has to have mental and physical stimulation or he will find mischief. Running in the yard, playing fetch, wrestling with Oliver, learning new commands, and figuring out brain toys are all great ways to keep him busy. He hasn't done anything actually destructive, but he thinks it's super fun to unroll the toilet paper and TP the house we leave any bathroom doors open. He's also really good at letting us know when he's hungry: he'll carry all the dog bowls out into the living room and line them up on the rug. If you ask me, those are just adorable quirks, not trouble!

Barks is still sleeping in his crate at night without any trouble at all. His potty training is complete and he is becoming less hand shy with each passing day. Barkie is like a rubber band, a bouncy ball, and an acrobat all wound up in one funny furry package. He makes us laugh all the time with the crazy way he launches himself off of furniture, slips on the wood floor, and leaps through the air with the greatest of ease. He knows when it's time to settle down on the couch, too. As long as he's exercised well, he has no qualms about curling up for a movie and cuddles at the end of the day.



Here's a short video of Barkley playing with his KONG Wobbler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKuSrigHWDs

And another video of Barks and Oliver playing tug o' war (and Bunkin's super loud referee bark in the background...sorry!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPsml_r7dcY

Barkley's a really cool dog. If you're looking for a fun, energetic, loving, cuddly pup with a huge personality, Barks is your guy. He's SO smart and is eager to please his people as long as he gets his share of attention in return. He's good with kids and other dogs. Barkley is looking for a home that will understand his spirit and appreciate his uniqueness. Email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov if you're interested in adopting Barkley.

Introducing...Barkley!

With the bittersweet sadness of Cindy Lou's departure comes an exciting new adventure: our next foster dog, Barkley! We brought him home from DeKalb County Animal Services yesterday as soon as Cindy Lou boarded the FODA transport van. Normally I'd probably want to take a week's break in between fosters, but since we only had Cindy for a week and I'm still on vacation from school we went for it right away.

 

Barkley was picked up as a stray on December 24 near Agnes Scott College in Decatur. He was very skittish and shy in the shelter and unfortunately spent Christmas in intake. He's still a little hand-shy and prefers contact on his own terms, but he seems to be warming up very quickly. Barkley slept in his crate last night in our bedroom. He did very well with that. Today we'll work on name recognition and "sit".

Drew came up with the name Barkley (Barks for short). It's pretty funny since he's a Basenji mix, a "barkless" dog. Basenjis make a sound that's like a yodeling wail instead of a typical bark. Barkley does exactly this. He's very smart, energetic, playful, and alert. I think he might be crossed with some sort of herding dog (border collie?) or maybe a terrier. Barkley's only 17 pounds and although he seems pretty young, the shelter thinks he's full grown. He's a tad on the skinny side, but I wouldn't want to see him weigh more than 20 pounds at most. His teeth are beautiful, he's heartworm negative, and he's neutered. We're working on potty training reinforcement and constructive energy release (e.g.: no inappropriate chewing). He really just wants to play, but our three guys aren't too tremendously interested. Flea hates him, Bunkin says he's too old and crotchety for such youthful energy, and Oliver just wants to hump him to death. So we arranged a playdate for Mr. Barks with our friends' pup, Suzy Q. Suzy is a great match for Barkley in terms of size, age, and energy. They had a blast running around in the yard.

Barkley is available for adoption through DeKalb County Animal Services. If you're interested in him, please email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov for application information. He's going to make someone a really great dog!