I was laying in bed the other night, thinking about how I need to "record" the story of how we ended up with our lovely Barkley.
Ever sense we got married, we knew that once we got a house we wanted a puppy. We agreed we wanted a larger dog, because we both find small dogs annoying. We had tons of time in Springfield to look up breeds and their characteristics. Steven really was drawn to dogs with pointy ears that stand up like Huskies, and my top choice was a German Shepherd.
We looked at tons of pet adoption websites, where they list "pound dogs" (we wanted to rescue a dog instead of get one from a breeder.) Even while we were in Springfield waiting for Steven's starting date, I would look at puppies in OFallon just in case any MIGHT be still available by the time we were able to get one. We even visited PetSmart on a day that the shelter animals come in one weekend when we came up to visit.
We found tons of adorable puppies... all kinds of breed mixtures. We even started filling out some adoption applications like you have to do at most shelters now. (by the way, those things are LONG and very detailed!). While we were living at the Waltrips, we were getting closer and closer to closing on our house and we found these Alaskan Malamute puppies, I believe sold by an individual whose dog had puppies. We called them tons of times to see about meeting one, and finally after about two days they called us back that they were all adopted already!
One morning I woke up and started my usual search of puppies on Craigslist. I found this ad for a German Shepherd / Husky Mix...
"Are you looking to add another member to your family or just looking for a great companion? Harley is a 8-9 month old German Shepard/Husky mix. He is friendly, great with children and all around a good dog.
We've had no problems with Harley, however I am just a college student who rescued Harley only a few months ago. As a college student I just don't have the time or space to keep Harley anymore. We love him very much but we know another family or companion will suit him much better.
Harley is a well behaved dog. He is potty and cage trained. He is perfect for any family because he is already trained. He is very loving and NEVER aggressive. He is also soft and has a beautiful face and coat. We have already had all of his shots taken care of and he is neutered! Again, Harley is an AWESOME dog, and the only reason we are selling him is because we want him to live in a home where he deserves."
He was beautiful, a perfect compromise for us, and 8 months old so already potty and crate trained! Steven was at breakfast with a guy from church, but I was so excited I called him and asked if I should call the girl! He said yes, so I called her and arranged to get together to meet him in a few days.
Keep in mind, we had JUST closed on our house! Weren't even moved in yet!
That Thursday morning, we went to their house to meet "Harley". The funny part of this story is, Steven had passed their house while driving, drove back the street in reverse to get to their house, just to find "Harley" and the owner were standing outside waiting for us! We got out and they showed us how he knew to sit, shake, and lay down. We both knew instantly that we loved him!!
BUT, we had not moved into our house yet... we were leaving that same day to go to Springfield to pack up our stuff. We told them we could pick him up Sunday, which worked out for them so they had time to say goodbye. We made it back from Springfield and unloaded everything on Saturday, then Sunday after church we picked up Barkley! (I had decided way beforehand that I wanted to name our dog Barkley... I thought it was cute, and Steven agreed to it because he likes Charles Barkley an announcer on ESPN. It just worked out perfect that it sounded so similar to Harley that it wouldn't be to confusing to him!)
The first thing we did was take Barkley to the vet to get a check-up... we just wanted to make sure he was healthy and in good shape! The vet thought he was not quite 8 months, more like 6 according to his teeth, so we will never really know how old he is or when his birthday is. I remember that at the end of the appointment she said we had an exceptional dog! In great shape and very well mannered for a Husky! (which must come from the Shepherd in him).
We take Barkley home, and I had read the first thing you're supposed to do is show the dog where they are supposed to go potty. So we take him to the back door and let him explore the back yard. Well, SOMEONE (Steven) had left our fence open! We have had the dog an hour, had him at home for less than TWO minutes, and Barkley got out and was running away from us! We finally convinced him to come back to us with some treats, after he ran behind the strip-mall that is next to our neighborhood. I seriously thought we were not going to see him again!
Since then, he has grown accustomed to us (though he still is known to run around the neighborhood when given the opportunity).
He knows how to sit, shake, lay down, stay, high five, dance, and kiss. He is very smart!
Barkley loves milk products (ice cream, cheese, sour cream, etc.) but they give him really bad gas! He also loves meat, and butter (more than once we have found the butter stick "disappeared" from our counter... gross.) He will not eat veggies or fruits... he will "sit" to try them, but after giving them a taste, he leaves it on the floor for me to pick up.
Barkley loves many things... all people (especially kids),
other dogs (trips to the dog park are one of his FAVORITE things!! He is very hospitable too... he greets/welcomes each dog that enters and walks each dog out when they leave!),
squeaky toys (he is very protective of these toys...)
His very favorite animals are rabbits and squirrels! He freaks out whenever he sees them. Sometimes he will eye one in our side yard, and run from the deck to the front window trying to watch them, whining the whole time.
Barkley is spoiled in that "dad" gets to stay home with him all day. He is definitely accustomed to Steven being home almost all of the time, with me leaving to go to work. He gets confused when I arrive home without Steven, it's like he thinks that every time I am home Steven should be home too! After I get back without Steven, he will wait at the door for him for a while until I convince him to come upstairs, but then he is listening intently for any sound that may mean Daddy is home! What a daddy's boy...
But he also loves his momma... he meets me at the top of the stairs when I get home from work, or if he is outside and hears the garage door he tries to get Steven to let him inside so he can greet me!
Barkley loves trips to Fritz's. We haven't gone in a while because (duh) it's winter, but in the summer, he gets so excited when we go on walks and turn right at our drive-way (towards Fritz's) instead of left (towards the neighborhood... once again, he is smart!). While we are there he gets a free doggie cone and we always have people commenting on how handsome he is.
He is a blanket and pillow hog. He likes to be comfy!
He loves to play-fight and wrestle, and is really good about not biting hard or mean! He usually gets his energy spurts late at night... as in 11pm or 12am! He is so hyper for about 30 minutes to an hour, but calms down later.
Barkley is hilarious. He has such a personality. We probably have an abnormal amount of love for him, but he for now at least, he really completes our family!
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Proverbs 12:10
