[Dailydrool] **Beyond tear warning; Barnaby Devil Dog OEBE ATB

[Basset911 at aol.com]

He came into my life being carried in my arms, heading to the vet, a bag of 
 bones and barely breathing.
Forgotten in a shelter, overcrowded at Christmas time, with 5-6 other  
canines urinating on him, he laid there for 2 weeks.  Completely  dehydrated, 
emaciated and without any eyes (or so I was told).
An emergency call to me, I flew to the shelter, an impromptu press  
conference was called by a friend in the news business who sent out camera vans  
who were dark - not that anyone knew that at the time - 
And for a fee, he belonged to rescue. His healing was a miracle.
 
I was his foster home. I failed miserably.
 
How does one ever find the words to let you know how absolutely amazing  
your beloved is? It would take an entire book - so I'll try to do the best I  
can, and then I'll add items to our message board under the Bridge  
postings.  Eventually maybe there will be a book, I know my heart shall  never heal.
 
Barnaby Legs Chidester.  Devil Dog.
It was instantly apparent that Barnaby had a sense of humor only the truly  
wicked could love - he broke thru plate glass windows, escaped on rainy 
nights  (Topless in Tarzana), ate the Christmas tree - and decimated that evil 
holiday  popcorn tin stockpile.  Destroyed bedding in a single wrestle.  
Slimed  the well dressed with a glint in his eye.  Stole many a prime rib,  
brisket, turkey, chicken - football season was without doubt his favorite  past 
time. The shout TOUCHDOWN found Barnaby diving at the buffet as game  
watchers cheered the team on. Table top dancers could learn from the Boo  Boy.
 
Barnaby was by my side through the loss of an old room mate, a marriage, a  
divorce, many moves and oh so many travels.  We visited Novato Waddle,  
House boated, chased the evil seagulls in Moonstone, the  rocky crabs in  
Oxnard, the locals in San Diego - we Doo Dahed, Waddled, Picnic' d and  
HoeDowned, Spring Games, and even had his photo taken on the rose float in  2000.  A 
million tales, a million memories - my boy.  As a friend  recently pointed 
out - I will never know how he fell asleep on TOP of the fridge  - a mystery 
never to be solved.
 
We moved from Tarzana and a residential neighborhood to an acre property in 
 Palmdale - and he loved to run.  From Palmdale we moved to Daphneyland -  
and more acreage - and Barnaby was in his element at the ranch.   Chasing 
bunnies and road runners, his devilish way and OEBE standing were  carefully 
fine tuned.  The hounds of Daphneyland since inception have known  Barnaby - 
the King of Daphneyland and waif bassets everywhere.  Many was  the day I 
would have to explain to adoptive families that no, he was not  available for 
adoption "Barnaby - You HAVE a home!" as he drooled on kids and  stole 
lifesavers from pockets.
Working the crowd - my Boo Boy.
A constant bed hog, who kept me from falling out for 13 years.   However 
will I sleep without him?
 
Such a ham - anytime a camera came out, that boy could pose.  He's in  
every film, video and press clip we've ever done, hamming it up even to out  
running gray hounds and being hit by the lead remote control car (on film no  
less - not sure which was funnier, the basset beating the rescue gray hounds, 
 and then swinging around for the cameras as if to say "I'm the Winner" and 
then  being rolled by a remote control car and 5 gray hounds - BAM!)  
Barnaby  pure and simple.
 
As time marches on and devilry changed to ransacking the bed during the  
day, continuing to hate puppies and telling me about it every time they come  
into rescue - his tricks slowed down and graceful aging happened.  One day  
a volunteer very unsuspectingly said "Who is that really old hound over 
there on  the dog bed?"  It was Barnaby.   And that rocked my world.   I suppose 
all of us think of our kids as being forever young - I truly had not  
noticed the gray approaching, had not noticed the droopier ankles and the old  
man lumps and bumps - Barnaby old?  Here at Daphneyland we commonly have  16, 
17 and even 18 year olds - 13 is not old to me.
 
And with a heavy heart last week his vet report came back - end stage  
kidney failure.
All the tricks and cures, all the love and cuddles in the world did not get 
 a reaction from Barnaby - as his eyes slowly lost the sparkle and glint, 
his  breathing becoming more and more labored - until this morning he was 
unable to  get himself in and out of bed.  He was holding on just for me, and 
my  selfishness was allowing it.  With a very heavy heart this morning I made 
 the appointment.  Half hoping for a miracle during the day - a cold and  
chilly breezy day - no miracles arrived for my Barnaby, we had to settle for 
the  miracle of 13 wonderful and healthy years.
 
13 years after we met, I carried my boy back to our same vet - his  
attending vet of all these years - 
Wrapped in a blanket, we walked into the same exam room of all those years  
ago.
With many kisses and lots of tears Dr. Kim and I sent him off into the  
sunset - where bunnies run eternally, where kitties love to play tag - where 
the  buffet never ends and illegal bones are aplenty - where so many of the 
hounds he  has known are congregated - The Rainbow Bridge.
Watch out Cocshall - hide the cake mix and powdered sugar!
 
May the hounds near and far be ever on their toes - Barnaby Legs Chidester, 
 Devil Dog, OEBE of Daphneyland is airborne.
1996 - 4/15/09
 
Dawn of the West
_www.barniatdaphneyland.org_ (http://www.barniatdaphneyland.org/) 
Where Barnaby taught the Wild Bassets to roam....
 
 

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