BarkingProse

How my life has changed. I no longer sleep until mid morning. Apparently the woman is used to getting up early and the house dogs expect their morning meal by 6am. We all eat the same thing – kibbles made from duck and sweet potato and the food she cooks for us. Ash calls her home cooking the bucket. I call it heaven. It seems to be a mash of brown rice, vegetables and the most wonderful meat I have ever tasted. It’s like canine caviar.

There is a discipline to feeding times. Ash eats first in the privacy of the mudroom. Tess eats next in a corner of the kitchen. And finally it is my turn. I am sequestered in the pantry where I can take my time and enjoy every bite. While I adore my food, I am a slow and tidy feeder. I like to take the food from the bowl and chew it thoughtfully before swallowing. My portions are rationed and I feel a little lighter already.

The son tested me to see if I have any food aggression. He could have asked me and I would have told him I don’t, but he wanted to see for himself. So while I was eating he sat on the floor with me and played around my food. I stepped back, thinking he might want some himself. He laughed and handed me a morsel. He lifted my bowl up and held it briefly. I sat down and looked at him, wondering what he was doing. After a few moments he returned my bowl to me and I continued to eat. He praised me for my very mellow disposition and called me buddy. I like him.

Yesterday the woman took me on a walk. We walked all the way down the road and back. I enjoyed it. She walks slowly and lets me sniff when I want. I am very good on the leash. I rarely pull. Usually I walk a foot behind on her left side. I think once upon a time I was taught to heel, but I am not sure. I surprised everyone by walking nearly half a mile. I almost feel like I have a little more spring in my step, but it may just be that I am getting over the terrible sadness and confusion of losing my people.

Last night we had a guest dog. She is a long time friend of my new people. Asher and Tess were very happy to see her. At dinner we all picked a spot under the table and slept while the people ate. I do not beg from people while they eat. That would be rude. I do forget myself in the kitchen and beg a bite or two, prancing up and down and wagging my tail. But if I am asked to stop, I do. I was very well behaved around the guest dog. She was nice to me and I was equally pleasant to her.

Today I shall visit the vet. The woman collected my morning stool. This is such an odd habit some people have, but she assures me it is necessary to see if I have alien creatures living in my gut. I have adjusted to my new food and my stools are fairly solid. She is pleased with that. Because I am still heavy I will have to be assisted into the car. The man of the house is coming with us to the vet, so he can lift me. I hope some day to spring into the car like Asher, or at least climb in under my own power.  I suppose only time will tell, but for now I am content to have found a home where I have company and am treated well. I will tell more as time permits.

I suppose I am at least twenty pounds overweight and my joints have been complaining for years. The lady is most concerned about my incessant scratching. I am ashamed to admit that when she first encountered me, I stunk terribly. I am proud to report that I had no toilet accidents my first night. I was walked more than I wished, but I know it was to make sure I had emptied my bowels and bladder.

I was allowed to sleep in the master bedroom with the other dogs, but because my snoring is so loud, I have been asked to sleep on my pad in the hallway. The door is open so that if I become afraid or have to ask to be let out, I can approach the sleepers.

My adventure in this new home continues. I have made good progress. I am comfortable with my circumstances. The lady worries about my itching, but I have been this way for so long, I hardly notice. I will write more after the vet has seen me, but for now I am hoping for a long and happy future at Asherpark.

I’ve been asked to introduce a Barker who is no longer with us. Darcy was the first foster dog we got through Old Dog Haven. His people couldn’t keep him anymore so we brought him home to Asherpark. Everyone adored him. He was able to bark his story even though he only stayed with us a couple of months. Here’s a picture of him. Please read his barking so you understand how much he meant to us. – Asher

My name is Darcy. Today begins the story of the rest of my life. My early years are shrouded in confusion. I vaguely remember the warmth of my mother’s body. She licked me and nourished me. Then she was gone and I was alone. People came and went from my life. Most treated me fairly well, but then something went wrong. I was two or three and suddenly I found myself at the local animal shelter. It was so scary – dogs barking, crying, the smell of fear was everywhere. My cage was bare and cold. The food was tolerable. I tried my best to do what was asked of me, but I really didn’t know the rules or expectations.

For some reason the people at the shelter seemed to like me. I do have good manners, if I say so myself. I have no aggressive tendencies. I never snapped, nipped or growled. I showed my appreciation through a slow and elegant wag of my tail. In time my situation improved. A very nice couple adopted me. They took me home. I lived with them for seven years. Life was good. I had so much food that I became obese. It made getting around difficult but I really enjoyed the constant supply of kibbles and treats.

I developed a skin allergy that troubles me to this day, but it’s nothing that I can’t endure. My people shaved me each spring to help me stay cool. Now that I am older my coat isn’t growing in very well; quite honestly I am not as pretty as I once was. My hearing is weak but my eyesight still serves me.

I assumed I would continue in my comfortable world until the end. But this was not to be. I have never been one to ask much in this life. Given my circumstances I didn’t feel I deserved much. I am content to be the last dog in line for treats and the last one out the door. Status matters not to me.

One morning my person gave me a pill that made me lose awareness. I vaguely recall being lifted into the back of the car. For some reason all my worldly belongings were with me. I slept fitfully as we drove. I had no idea of our destination. The car stopped next to a station wagon. A woman approached us. She said she represented Old Dog Haven. My person opened the door of our car. The lady extended her hand for me to smell. She called me sweet and told me everything would be all right.

All my belongings were loaded into her car, including my bed. I struggled to understand what was happening. My person gently lifted me into the station wagon. I thought he was going to cry. Where was I going? What was happening? I tried to get up but the silly pill made my legs like taffy. I could only grunt and fall back down on my bed. My person took a picture of me with the lady in the back of her car. And then he left. I was alone with a stranger.

For several hours I rode in the back of the station wagon. I listened to classical music and the news.  At last the car came to a stop. The pill was wearing off, but my legs were still weak. A man carefully lifted me out of the car. I had to pee. He seemed to know that. He slowly walked me to a tree. Such relief. But I smelled the scent of others. I felt so vulnerable. What if the other dogs were mean? What if the people didn’t like me? Would I go back to the shelter where it all began? I was hungry. Did they know that?

I was still on a leash when the female housedog was introduced. Her name is Tess. She is a rescue too. She is the prettiest girl I have ever seen. Her coat is a rich mahogany and white. Her face is equally divided into her two colors. She has long eyelashes. She approached me with some rigidity, her tail held straight out. But I offered no resistance. After a few moments she wagged her tail and ran off.

Next came Asher, the man dog. He barked when he saw me and postured. Oh no, I thought. What if he attacks me? The lady told him easy and he seemed to relax. I stood perfectly still and let him sniff me everywhere. He knew instantly that I was no threat to his position in the household. In a flash he raced down the fence to bark at the neighbor dog.

This was my first day in my new life. Please come back for the rest of my bark.