BarkingProse

When Mom told me she was gonna interview me I was really excited. I wrote down some questions that I hoped she would ask me. I guess I didn’t really understand how the interview would work. I thought we would discuss the questions first and then she would ask me for my answers. Instead she just asked me a bunch of questions that I didn’t see coming. Honestly I thought the questions were sort of lame.

Mom could see how disappointed I was. She told me afterwards that it was her fault for not explaining more about the process.

This time we’re gonna do things different. I get to ask her the questions that have been on my mind for a long time. Here’s the first part of my interview with Mom. We may only get to one question today, but that’s okay too.

Finn: Hi Mom! Thanks for letting me interview you. My first question is how am I related to Asher and why did you choose me to come to Asherpark?

Mom: Asher’s father Daddy Bud was a beautiful Australian Shepherd who lived on a farm in Newport, Washington. Bud was the sire of many fine Australian Shepherds. Ash was one of Bud’s early litters when Bud was still a young dog. Ash was handsome and busy and silly like a good Aussie should be. But Ash had a gene that would gradually make his dark fur bleach out. I loved that about Ash but it is considered a flaw in the show dog world. Because of this Ash couldn’t be a show dog and I was able to adopt him as a companion dog. You and Ash are related because Daddy Bud is your great-great-great grandfather.

Ash died way too young. He developed cancer and it took him before he turned twelve. We were all heart broken and moped around the house for days. Journey took it especially hard because Ash had raised her and she had never known life without him. When I saw how sad she was I knew I had to find a special pal for her.

I called the lady where I got Ash. One of her girl dogs had just had a litter and Daddy Bud was in the lineage. I told her I really wanted a blue merle boy dog. She said she had one blue merle boy and that was you! She sent me a picture of you and I instantly knew that you were a special dog and I wanted you to come live at Asherpark.

At the time you were nearly eight weeks old and ready to move to your own home. I drove over right away. We sat outside in the sun and I held you on my lap. You were tiny and warm and scared. I could feel your little heart beating like crazy. I put you in a small crate in the car and brought you home to Asherpark. Journey took one look at you and it was love at first sight. She became your momma dog and has been looking out for you ever since.

Finn: Gosh, I didn’t know anything about Daddy Bud. This is really interesting stuff. We gotta wrap things up for now, but let’s talk more about family history in our next interview. Thanks, Mom!

Good morning Finn. Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. I’m here to ask you some questions about your role as the principal reporter for BarkingProse. For those who may not be familiar with your blog, BarkingProse has been around for more than a decade. It’s well known in the canine world as one of very few blogs written by dogs for dogs. As your founder Asher so eloquently put it, “BarkingProse gives dogs a chance to have their say.” So let’s jump right in and get to some of the questions I think your readers would like to have you answer.

Question: Do you like your name, Finn?

Finn: Yes! Finn is a great name. It sounds serious and manly and it’s easy for people to say.

Question: Do you know where your name comes from?

Finn: I sure do. I’m named after some legendary Irish hero named Finn MacCool.

Question: What’s your favorite food?

Finn: HaHa! That’s a silly question. Whatever I’m eating at the moment is my favorite food. I like everything!

Question: Why are you afraid to walk on shiny floors?

Finn: Aw Mom, did you have to ask me that? It’s the one question I can’t answer. They just freak me out.

Question: How old are you Finn?

Finn: That’s an easy question. I’m seven and a half years old.

Question: What’s your most favorite thing to do?

Finn: Eat

Question: What’s your second most favorite thing to do?

Finn: Go to nose work classes and get lots of treats for finding stuff.

Question: Do you like being interviewed?

Finn: Well, I don’t mind but it’s kinda weird. I mean since I’m the reporter for BarkingProse I’m usually the one asking the questions.

Question: Do you wish Journey would help you with BarkingProse?

Finn: Yeah I do. I wish I had a pal to work with. Journey is so darn smart. She could be a great reporter, but all she wants to do is hunt varmints and bark at the neighbor dog.

Question: Would you like to switch places so you can interview me? Your next Bark could be you asking me questions.

Finn: You know I want to! Yes please! Tomorrow. That’s gonna be such a fun Bark. Thanks Mom!

That concludes our interview Finn. Thanks for being such a good sport and helping me with my writing assignment. I owe you big time!