Journey

Help Is On The Way

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Finn

Did ya’ hear the news? I mean did you read Journey’s Bark from yesterday? She’s gonna help me with BarkingProse. It makes me so happy I can’t even find the words. If I had a tail I’d chase myself around in circles – circles of joy.

Not only will Journey help me so I can get a day off once in a while, but she promised to tell about when she was a pup and all the cool stuff she did like riding on a fire truck and hanging out in bars. Really! You don’t know the half of Journey’s life before I came to Asherpark.

I don’t want to spoil her fun so I’m gonna let her tell you herself, but I bet you learn some things about her and Mom you never knew. Okay, okay, I can’t resist. I have to post a teaser pic that I found in the archives. How cool is this??!!

 

Journey and Fireman

I’ll let Journey explain the rest of the story or how she happened to meet the nice fireman. And yes, that’s Mom’s arm holding Journey’s leash in the picture.

Me and Mom and Journey have been talking about what we want to do with BarkingProse going forward. I mean we could just keep doing what we’ve been doing, but BarkingProse has been around for a lot of years. Maybe it needs a new focus. Maybe Mom needs to stop being the editor and become one of us Barkers. And what would that look like? Would she tell stories about all us dogs? Would she tell about herself?

She’s been non-committal about making her own voice heard. I kinda think it would be a fun thing. She’s got some cool pictures you’ve never seen. How about this one? Only thing wrong with it was me and Journey weren’t along for the ride!

At the Ranch

 

Finn, Journey

In My Own Words

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Journey

You’ve heard from Finn about the trouble at Asherpark. He’s such a good reporter. He gives you the facts first and then he tells you how he feels about things.

After our Dad died I wasn’t much interested in helping with BarkingProse. Writing is hard. You have to sit still. It makes you think about things you don’t always want to think about.

It was selfish of me to tell Finn I wouldn’t do any more Barks. That put all the responsibility on him while I was out chasing varmints and having fun. Meanwhile Finn was learning how to do family research and edit pictures.

A lot of times his Barks are about me. That makes me feel kinda bad too. I know he looks up to me and he thinks I’m a better dog than he is because I’m brave. Well, bravery is a double edged sword. Maybe I’m brave because I’m reckless. Look what happened to me when I went chasing around after the deer, forgetting that I’m ten years old and just got over being really sick.

Sure I’m the first out the door to start some new adventure while Finn hangs back to scope things out. I’m comfortable meeting all kinds of people while Finn takes his time to size people up.

Finn is drawn to people who have a kind heart. He’s a good judge of character and he’s completely loyal to his friends.

Finn and Uncle Dan

There are lots of pictures of Finn sitting on someone’s lap. He’s like a comfort blanket. His goofy personality makes people laugh. His presence makes everybody feel happier.

Finn doesn’t understand this yet but being around him has made me a better dog. Watching him I’ve learned to be more aware of how people are feeling. I’m trying to be the dog that Finn can always count on and the best way I can do that now is to give him a hand with BarkingProse.

Stay tuned. I’m going to be contributing to BarkingProse so Finn can take some time off. I’ve got lots to tell and some really great pictures to share.

Journey

Injured Reserve

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Journey

When we realized that Journey had torn her ACL we were totally bummed. I felt guilty because I was the one who started chasing the deer and got Journey involved. Mom felt bad because she had allowed us to go into the wild area behind our house. Journey was sad because she had just recovered from being sick and now she had a bad sports injury.

Mom took Journey to see our vet. He confirmed that Journey had torn her ACL, but there was good news – it was not a complete tear. That meant there was a good chance that Journey would recover without surgery. BUT in order to recover she could not run for at least three or four months and had to be on a leash wherever she went – even in the house.

At first it was really hard. Mom and Journey had to go everywhere together – even out into the yard at 3AM when Journey had to pee. Mom tried to make it fun for Journey, giving her extra attention and playing mind games with her. I wasn’t much help. In fact, I was a big problem. Whenever I alerted Journey wanted to jump up and follow me. If I saw an eagle and started barking, Journey wanted to leap up and give chase. Gradually Journey and I both began to settle into our new routine and I learned to control myself most of the time.

A couple weeks after Journey’s injury, Mom found out about a special brace for dogs who had torn an ACL. https//poshdogkneebrace.com  She quick did her research and decided to order the brace for Journey. The brace arrived a couple weeks ago and Journey has been getting used to wearing it for short periods. Mom says it’s a devil to put on but Journey is patient and stays real still while Mom gets the brace hooked up.

In a few weeks Journey will be able to take longer walks with the brace. Right now we just walk up and down our driveway. In the meantime she’s getting special supplements, laser treatments and Accupuncture to help her heal – just like race horses and human athletes.

It’s hard watching your best friend struggle and suffer. Journey never complains. She just makes the best of things and goes with the flow. I know I’ve said this before, but Journey is my hero. She makes me a better dog. I can’t imagine my world without her.

Finn and Journey