Barney died this weekend

This post is more a need for me to work through my grief over having to put one of our dogs to sleep yesterday than an attempt to start a discussion. Here is his story:

Why not me?  I don’t know. Is it because I look different from my brothers and sisters? They started out about the same size as me, but they grew much faster and pretty soon they were all much bigger than me. Would someone not want me because I’m too small?  I weigh only 25 pounds.  Oh, did I tell you I’m a blood hound/pointer mix.  I can hunt, I know I can. Nevertheless, after six months I’m the only one left without a forever home.  All my littermates are gone and I have no one to play with. I spend my days looking at everyone who walks by my kennel, hoping that someone will stop and take me home.

I can’t hold my head up straight half of the time and the rest of the time I am leaning like I was on a boat at sea.  Do looks matter more than who I am?  Can’t people see past my looks to what a great dog I am?  To make matters worse, I have a bladder that has a mind of its own and sometimes I can’t hold it. Oh, well, that is the card that God dealt me.  But Lord, this kennel gets so lonely. Is asking for a forever home and a last name to call my own so much to ask?

When I was 6 months old, someone took a chance on me.  A couple took me in as a foster because I am a nice dog and they thought that I could be adopted!  I went to their home and was socialized with both their dogs and other rescue dogs.  I gained weight and became a very happy puppy.  Four weeks at their house was bliss with no kennel, just a big back yard!  I even got to sleep in their bed between them (they had to put plastic covers on the bed cause of my bladder problems).  They took me to the vet and told him to find out what was the cause of my physical problems.  That took weeks.

The bad news came on Independence Day, July 4th, 2008 when the vet called.  I have congenital kidney disease. My kidneys no longer function and it was only going to be a matter of time before I was going to die.  “Four to 14 days”, the vet said.  How could this be? I was doing so well?  My foster family switched me to special food for dogs that have kidney issues.  Alas, it will only delay my destiny.
 

The good news is that my foster family adopted me.  I am no longer a non-wanted dog! To make it even better, my new family has a wall of fame, filled with pictures of all of the special dogs in their life.  My picture is right there among the greatest dogs of all time: Cody, Bodacious, Cooter, Majik, Sadie, Havoc, Hank, and now “Barney the Under Dog”.  I will have you know sir, that not every dog is good enough to get their picture on the wall of fame!  

But alas, my time and my story is near the end. The vet says I only have 4-14 days to live, but I will die with a fulfilled life’s dream: a forever home and a last name.  My name is Barney “The Under Dog” Graham and I will be buried under the old cherry tree in the back yard (I watched Dad dig the hole today, it is a good spot).  And my last 4 weeks of life had no kennel time!

I drew the short straw.  

November 2008

Well, I thought I would give ya'll an update.

Dad did dig the hole for my grave but we haven't had to use it yet. I've been eating special food for dogs with kidney failure and it has been working.

The good part is that I get to eat as much as I want; the bad part is that it doesn't taste as good as the food the other dogs in the house get to eat. I am constantly trying to sneak food out of the other bag of dog food, but Mom has caught on and makes sure it stays out of my reach. I also get a saline IV every few days. It's kind of a big ordeal, since I don't do needles very well. Dad has to hold be while Mom sticks me with the needle.  

I went back to the Vet for a blood test and the test results show that I have gone from Stage 4 to Stage 1 kidney failure.  The vet is amazed and stunned.  I will still die one day of kidney failure as kidneys do not repair themselves, and my open grave is still there (Dad is afraid to fill it in because he is superstitious and it may jinx me).  But I have seen 130 more sunrises than the vet predicted! Every day when he takes me out to pee, he says "We both get to see another sunrise Barney, good for us!"

And guess what?  Mom and Dad took me on vacation with them.  I got to see "THE" Library, I did Vegas, and I went to the PBR finals at the Mack Center.  Not bad for a guy with 4-14 days left to live eh?

Barney the Underdog

On Dec 16, Barney turned 1 year old, and we had a birthday party for him, only he didn't get to eat any of the cake. He had his picture taken with Santa Claus at Christmas. On Saturday January 10, 2009, Barney lost his fight with kidney disease. It may have been his time to go, but it was way to early for me. He is buried in the back yard underneath of the cherry tree.