BarkingProse

Finn

You can probably tell from the leaves that it’s autumn at Asherpark. That means I haven’t posted a bark since last winter. That’s just not right but I gotta tell you I’ve been busy – real busy.

Here at Asherpark it’s me, Journey, mom and our dad. Oh yeah, there’s three nasty alpacas that are constantly tormenting me and Journey too.

The reason I’ve been so busy is our dad got sick and mom got worried and Journey got anxious and I didn’t know what to do and life as we knew it turned upside down.

By now you might be asking yourself how come that made me busy. Well here’s what you need to know about us Australian Shepherds. We are born to work. If we don’t have a job we get a little crazy and usually get ourselves into trouble.

Since spring mom has spent hours and days and weeks and months taking care of dad. She was so tired we had to send the alpacas to summer camp because she didn’t have the energy to take care of them too.

Me and Journey knew mom was tired and upset and she couldn’t spend as much time with us as she wanted. She tried real hard to keep life normal for us, but we’re not dumb. We knew she was sad and worried and no matter how hard we tried she was still sad. That’s where all the busy stuff came from.

Since mom couldn’t be with us as much as usual, me and Journey figured out new games. Without the alpacas we could go down into the ravine where the alpacas used to hang out. That’s also where the eagle killed our favorite rooster and most of our hens. We visited the kill site and saw all the chicken feathers. We could smell the wild eagle scent too.

It was Journey’s idea but I bought into it right away. We would make it our new job to keep the eagles away from our property. You might think that’s not a big deal, but when you have eagles nesting around your home it’s a full time job.

Me and Journey began to hone our skills as eagle spotters. We’d each guard a patch of the property and the minute we saw an eagle in the sky we’d bark like fools and run around the place yapping at the eagles.  We had to be a little careful because we would run with our eyes on the eagles and a couple of times me and Journey ran into each other and knocked each other over.

We got real good at telling the difference between eagles, ravens, vultures, and airplanes. There were enough eagles that we didn’t bother barking at the other birds or the planes.

Over the summer our eagle chasing focused our energy. We became obsessed with the eagles and that made us forget why we were sad.

Then one day mom brought me and Journey to our quiet place where we have our naps and special talks. Mom told us that dad was finished with his treatments and life was going to be better. She said we could still chase the eagles but we were also going to go to class and practice our manners and play with our friends. Best of all mom was going to spend lots and lots of time with us and we would soon forget how we were sad and alone during the summer. And you know what? She was right!

Finn and Mom

Finn

I come from the same line as our patriarch Ash. His father was father to my great great grandfather and a couple of other grandfathers.

Ash was big and strong and full of himself. It’s true I’m not quite two years old but I see the handwriting on the wall. I’m not Ash.

In another life Ash would have been an explorer. Turns out mom used to call Ash Magellan because he loved to go on adventures.

Sometimes mom called Ash Houdini because he could escape from anywhere if he put his mind to it.

I was born timid. As a little pup I stood behind mom’s ankles. Big dogs scared me and so did loud noises. I don’t like riding in the car because I get carsick.

When something scares me I like to hide under the bed. That way I feel safe and nothing bad can happen to me. The bed is really low to the ground. Mom can’t crawl under the bed but she can stick her head and arms under. When she wants me to come out and I won’t do it, she gently pulls me by my paws until she can grab my shoulders and slide me out.

Mom says I’m not fear aggressive. I’d rather leave an argument than fight. I guess I am a little unpredictable though. When I saw a big male dog at the vet’s office, I growled real deep and told him to leave me and my mom alone.

It’s a good thing Journey raised me. Journey loves everybody and wouldn’t ever pick a fight. When I’m with Journey I mostly do what she does. Sometimes I go off on my own thing but usually me and Journey do everything together.

Journey and Finn

You may wonder why I’m telling you all this stuff. Turns out I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’m at Asherpark because Ash died. Journey and mom and everybody who knew Ash were heart broken when Ash died. Journey didn’t have anyone to hang with and she spent all her time learning to hunt moles and rats.

Mom said Journey had to have a pal and when she learned I was available and came from the same line as Ash she quick drove to eastern Washington and brought me home.

Ash died. I was born. Now I’m at Asherpark. I think I’m here for a reason bigger than keeping Journey company. I think I’m here to make sense of the past and help tell the story of Asherpark. I don’t know how that’s gonna turn out or what it will look like, but mom says I have a big heart and I will figure it out.

So if you don’t mind following along I’ll see what I can do to tell our story. Stay tuned and if you’ve got time maybe you could send me a comment or two and point me in the right direction. At least I’ll know you’re paying attention and that will make me work harder.

As Ash would say, “Gotta Run!”