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| Name: |
Barley
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Age: |
Deceased, Six years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Vizsla mix
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| Home: |
Eastern North Carolina, USA |
My
name is Barley, and I was a throw away dog, living on the street when I was turned in to the Wayne County Animal Shelter. Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue was contacted and saw something in me. (Shh ... I was not a Golden Retriever!) I weighed a whole 49 pounds when taken to the soon to become some of my best friends at First Care Glenwood Animal Hospital. The vets there and staff were really good to me, but I was so underweight that they could neither neuter me nor even dare to try to start Heartworm treatment. Yes, I was heartworm positive.
One of the volunteers (thank you Claudia and Alan) could
not stand me having to stay at the clinic and took me home with her until a
foster could be found. My soon-to-be foster Mom and Dad saw my poor skinny
body and took me in. It was a happy day for me, and I fit right in with their
two Golden Girls. Maggie and I became fast friends (she was just two years
older than me). That's her playing tug of war with me. Happy, being a very
senior twelve-year-old, tolerated me but maintained her mature aloof attitude,
but I knew she really loved me!
Mom here! Barley came into our lives September of 2011 and
was one of the luckiest days of our lives! He was so skinny you could see
every bone in his body but was full of love. His eyes were unsure ... he had
been on his own for so long. We soon found out that he was thunder phobic,
and the most Velcro dog ever born! We fed him six cups of puppy food mixed with
a little regular adult food twice a day. Soon he was gaining weight. I cannot
remember just when that we saw the total trust come into his eyes. He wanted
nothing more than to please us but still clung to us for reassurance,
acceptance, and love.
We knew he was no Golden Retriever, but he did have the
heart of gold. We soon found out that he was actually a Vizsla mix. He had
all the personality of the breed, cat+like paws, coloring, and can you say
hard to train? One really great thing about Barley and his breed is that he
never got a "doggy" smell. You need only wipe him down a couple times a week
with a soft cloth.
We'll let Barley talk again. I was put on the slow kill
method of heartworm treatment, meaning I took Heartguard twice a month. My
lungs were a mess. Dr. Riego explained to Mom and Dad that my lungs would
always be compromised due to the heavy case of heartworms. Mom and Dad fed me
and slowly helped me gain weight. By March I had gained up to my 70 pounds
that I was supposed to weigh. I had to take a lot of medicine. Every day I
took six doxy and 20 mg. prednisone. Mom always gave it to me with yogurt and I
took it like the champ I was. I had a cough (due to heartworms) but one day
when I was coughing I spit up blood. Mom called my BFF vet Dr. Riego, and
more x-rays showed I had pneumonia. I spent another week in the hospital with
my friends at Glenwood Animal Clinic.
I loved everyone, even the cats that shared my home. I
didn't know a stranger and was so happy to be loved and cared for. I was
given the nickname of "the Wal-Mart greeter" at adoption days. I knew I had
found my great forever home long before Mom and Dad did. Mom told me that I
needed to be trained, and I did my best to listen to her and do what was
expected of me (like not gulping down my food). It was really hard for me
since I had always been on the move. Mom told me that I gave a whole new
meaning to the term "Velcro dog". I was not sure what that meant, but I never
let her or Dad out of my sight! I never had an accident in the house, always
going out to do my business, but just as soon as I was done I dashed back
inside ... I had enough of living outside with no food or shelter!
Mom here, again! Barley was supposed to be kept quiet due
to his heartworms, and we tried. True to his breed, he just wanted to play.
We were strict with him, making him stop and slow down before he got too
rowdy. He would just tilt his head and look at us like "what is the problem".
He knew how to use those beautiful cinnamon eyes of his and never failed to
use them to his advantage.
Back to Barley: In June Mom and Dad noticed that I seemed
to have excess fluid in my abdomen. Yet one more trip to see my BFF vet and
friends at the clinic. That was June 12th and was my last day with my family
and friends. It seems that those nasty heartworms had broken up and had
lodged in my kidneys blocking them off. Surgery would have more than likely
killed me, so I crossed the Rainbow Bridge with my vet, friends and family
holding me and giving me treats.
I am telling my story so that all the pain and expense
(thank you Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue) which could have been avoided
with a simple heartworm tablet once a month, which would only cost about $10
a month. I was only six years old and really wanted to live many more years
with my Mom and Dad.
Mom here to wrap it all up for you. Barley was one of the
most special dogs that God ever created, and he deserved so much more than
what he got out of his short life. He truly blessed us every day that he was
with us, and we will never forget him, nor will anyone that ever met him.
Please if you have a dog, or think you want one, make the commitment to love
and care for them and give them heartworm and flea treatments. They will pay
you back in love and devotion for their entire lives.
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