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| Name: |
Bernie
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Age: |
Six years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Beagle mix
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| Home: |
Aurora, Illinois, USA |
Meet Bernie, a.k.a. Burnside Beauregard, Mr. Burns, Beans, Puppyface, Choppies, Chicken Legs, Frito Paws, Beef, and Beag (among many other random and nonsensical terms of endearment). He's a beagle mix, maybe with Pointer. Bernie came from an Ohio farm six years ago. We chose him partly because, out of his eight other siblings, he seemed to be an innocent-looking boy ... but the pictures turned out to be deceptive: in a group of dogs, he's often the one guilty of chaos. But he's so lovable!
Early on, Bernie was a chewer and made the best zombie Halloween costumes out of the clothes I left on the floor (lesson learned after the third pair of jeans was destroyed). He even ate a $20 I had out - little known fact: you can take paper money to the bank, and as long as you have at least 51% of it, they will give you a new bill. He's since grown out of this habit, thankfully, and politely chews only on his toys. Also, the cat (Scooter) seems to have finally accepted him.
Bernie enjoys travel - whether it's a car ride to pick up Mommy from the train or a week-long camping trip, he's in. When he's in the car, he's not just well-behaved; his eyes take on the serene, wise look of having all the knowledge in the universe. Bernie is also a big fan of jogging with his parents, being gross, chasing things, going snow sledding (which is really more chasing), pulling like a dog three times his size, greedy kisses, playing frisbee and fetch (unless his Beagle nose gets the better of him), and snuggling.
As pet parents, we have spoiled King Bernie. If we don't let him under the covers, we're likely to be scratched and aggressively nuzzled until we do - a habit that started because we needed him to keep us warm. We let him on the furniture, and now when we leave the house, he'll make himself a pillow pile on the couch. This is usually where I find him when I get home from work, whereupon he'll get up to stretch, wag, and give me a "rusty hinge" yawn before his afternoon walk.
Bernie's fears include flea and tick ointment, loud fireworks, nail clippers, the vet (of course), heavy storms, and unidentified hoofed animals (UHAs) such as goats and horses. Despite these fears, he's a great watchdog; he once alerted us to a raccoon that climbed up our porch. Sometimes he takes it a bit too far and will bark at trees on which snow has fallen overnight, and items the wind has blown into his regular walking route.
May 20 will be Bernie's birthday, which he shares with his brother Rocco and sister Tori. Here's to our handsome boy!
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