[Dailydrool] Goodbye My Barney Boy

[MsBBeaBear at cs.com]

I wanted to inform everyone that at 6:00 yesterday morning, we lost our dear nearly 14 yr old Barney Boy. I think he bloated or had abdominal bleeding.  He died at home here.  We adopted him at age 3 after seeing him only by pic on the internet.  He was tramatized when I picked him up because he had just lost his owner.  He came to us dirty and unsure of what was happening to him. I called the rescue to tell them I wanted Barneyand they asked if I had an application in, of course I didn't so I told them I will send it overnight.  I did.  Since he was an owner relinquish, he was not with the rescue.  After two days, I was informed I could pick him up in Allentown. I picked him up and came home and put him in the tub.  We have an old fashioned tub so at 86  lbs, it was no easy feat. He loved being clean.  He adjusted to our other dog pretty fast.  He loved to eat (anything).  He was beautiful. WE found out he came from a breeder in Virginia who had his champion mother and father. He was a big boned boy.  Gradually thru the years he lost weight.  He went down to about 75 lbs.  He did not like being picked up and would let you know real fast.  The first few years he was a challange. But he mellowed out and became a pussycat.  He loved my Grandchildren and he would lay next to them when they were here playing video games. He had the longest ears and biggest paws.  He was like a lion.  In the last few years of his life, he developed some arthritis, then he had problems with his head and equlibrium.  He struggled for 5 months with falling over and wobbling while walking but he never gave up and soon he was back to normal. He had a head tilt, caused by the condition. He was blind in one eye, but could see thru the other.  He had a cancerous tumor removed when he was 5 yrs old,we never thought he would live to just shy of 14.  His birthday would have been October 15th.  He was our howler and would get the other dogs howling too.  He raised both of our half sister puppies and just loved everyone. He will be so missed here.  I am sure he is at the banquet table eating his heart out.  Someday we will be together again.
Renee and the Basset HOund Gang