Finn

A Tender Soul

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Finn

Finn grew quickly into a stocky little bundle of contradictions. He is both bold and timid. He chases rabbits like his wheels are on fire, but is afraid to walk on slippery floors. He would launch himself at anyone or anything that tried to hurt me and Mom, but he’s terrified of the lawnmower.

The older Finn gets the more aversions he has. He won’t go into the bathroom because the floor is gray, so he misses all the fun of watching Mom take a shower. If he jumps into the car, he has to have a floor mat to launch from. For some reason he’s freaked out when his paws slip.

The neighbors who live down the road have a couple of ankle-biter mutts that run out and challenge us on our walks. We’re on leashes and they’re free to come as close as they want. Mom carries an airhorn that she honks when they get too close, so they never do us any harm. But Finn hates conflict so he doesn’t want to walk down our driveway anymore.

We love Finn for who he is, for all his quirks, and for his tender soul. Sometimes we call him Dr. Finn. He’s part psychiatrist and part spiritual healer. Finn can read auras. He knows immediately who is kind and trustworthy and who is not. When he was just a pup and still worried about meeting new people, he met a man named Philip who came to the house with friends. Finn walked right up to Philip and sat on his foot. He spent the entire evening leaning against his new friend absorbing the good energy that radiated from Phillip.

Mom had never met Philip before but she sure was curious about him. She explained to Philip that Finn was very choosy about new friends but had obviously taken to him. Phillip said that among other things he was trained as a Reiki Master and perhaps Finn had picked up on his calm energy.

Finn

We asked Finn what he felt sitting next to Phillip. Finn said it was like a warm wave of joy wafting over him. It made him relax and feel safe. Me and Mom still talk about that night, the night we realized that young Finn was already a wise old soul. There are lots more examples of how Finn reads people, especially when people are sick or sad. I’ll tell more about that in future Barks.

 

Journey

Back To Business

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Journey

Well okay, you caught me sleeping on the job, but you need to cut me some slack. I’m nearly eleven and I just came home from a PEMF treatment that always makes me a very sleepy dog. Sometimes I need an extra nap.

Now I have to get back to business and finish the history of my life at Asherpark and how we came to have Finn. Maybe it’s because my birthday is coming up, but I feel like time is slipping away and there are things I need to share. Mostly I want to tell about Finn and what a special dog he is.

In my last Bark I told how terrible it was to lose Ash to cancer. When Ash died it was like somebody turned out the lights. Everything was dark and sad. I was lonely and at loose ends. Mom knew I had to have a companion, a pal that would become my best friend. She promised me she would find just the right dog soul – and she did.

I didn’t know if she was going to bring me a puppy to raise like she did for Ash, or if she was looking for an older, calmer dog. What I knew for certain was that it would be an Aussie. It absolutely had to be an Aussie.

There was a a lot of chatter about who would be the next dog at Asherpark. Mom got all kinds of advice from friends and other Aussie lovers. In the end she went back to where Ash and I were born in Newport, WA. Turns out the lady breeder had a recent litter and Asher’s father was in the lineage. She wanted a boy dog and, of course, the puppy had to be a blue merle. There was only one puppy that met all the requirements and Mom claimed him.

Finn

He was the cutest little pup I’d ever seen. He was dark with lots of deep gray and black. His little eyes were honey colored brown and he had white markings in all the right places. I fell in love with him the minute I saw him.

Finn

He was a shy little guy and stayed close to me for protection and comfort. We went everywhere together. I was the engine and he was my little caboose. It was so much fun raising Finn. We never fought over food or toys. When he showed bad dog manners, I gently corrected him. When he was scared, I showed him how to be brave. Finn has been a blessing to everyone at Asherpark, especially to me. I sure love that silly mutt.

Journey and Finn

 

Journey

Needles and Thumbs

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Journey

Hey everybody, sorry I took some time off from posting Barks. Mom’s got me on a busy schedule. There’s appointments with the chiropractor and acupuncture vet (I call that needles and thumbs), PEMF treatments, cold laser and massage. We have certain walks we do each day to build up my stamina. It’s hard because I can’t run and I’m not in as good shape as I used to be.

If it were up to me I’d quit all this nonsense and go back to chasing eagles. But Mom really wants me to take the time to let my knee heal, so we keep to the routine. It’s been three months since I popped my ACL. It’s definitely a lot better after months of being on the end of a leash, but I still have some more healing to do.

What I miss most of all is playing bump and run with Finn. He misses it too. Sometimes he shadow boxes with me, standing on his hind legs and barking at me. How I wish Mom would drop the leash and let me have a word or two with that little trouble maker.

The good news is I might get more freedom in another month. It seems four months of leash restriction is the golden rule for ACL injuries. That means my release date would be May 25th. I can almost smell freedom. The only problem is I can’t be trusted to use good judgement. I hate to say that about myself, but it’s true. As soon as Mom lets me off leash I’m gonna take off like a flash. I’ll race to the front fence and bark at the neighbor dog. Then I’ll run so fast my ears will stretch out behind my head like Superman’s cape. Oh how I love to run.

One more month seems like forever, but I’ve been on restriction for three months already so I know I can do it. I’m healing up just in time for the summer. With the early mornings and lots of light in the evening, Finn and I can be outside for hours. We’ll scan the skies for eagles to chase and bark at any noise we don’t recognize. I’ll watch Mom mow down by the henhouse while Finn stays inside away from the noise of the mower. Did I tell you he HATES the mower? If Mom even looks like she’s going to mow Finn runs inside and crawls under the bed. He won’t come out until she stops mowing and he can see for himself the mower is back in the shed.

That’s it for this Bark. I’ll get back to telling about my early years while I’m still able to remember all the details. By the way, did I tell you I’m going to turn eleven on May 8th?