Barkley

Today we made the terrible decision to euthanise Barkley. Three weeks ago he was diagnosed with beagles disease. Unfortunately the drugs didn't work for him. Even the methidone he was on at the very end wasn't helping so we made the decision after he had an xray yesterday that we couldn't let him continue to live in pain.

We are heartbroken. Barkley was the gentlest of dogs.  He considered himself to be the fourth child. When he was excluded from coming inside when his brothers were allowed he would gaze at me with his gorgeous eyes saying "Mummy how come you let them inside but not me??!!"

He didn't like the deck being removed as his favourite place in the whole wide world was right on the back door. You could see that he thought if he got close enough to the glass he could consider himself inside with the family rather than left outside!

He had a mischievous spirit! And often his curiosity would get him into trouble! He was curious about what went on in other houses on the street so he would just dig a hole and go and hang out a Jose and Paula's house! Or Cleon and Michelle's. He had just discovered that Nathan and Monique had a kid who would squeal with delight every time she say him! Once he even got out and went to visit Cid and Trev! Nathan caught him just as he arrived at their driveway!  We tried everything to stop him from digging!  We came to the conclusion that Barkley is in fact smarter than Nathan because once it took him seconds to dig around a barricade that Nathan deemed impenetrable! He loved visiting everyone on the street. And last night everyone on the street came to visit him! All came over to give him a last kiss and a cuddle.

 Often you would find him hanging out in the fort. He could see all the way down the street and into all of the neighbours yards from there! He was also often found up on his hind legs peering into Cleon and Michelle's yard or off into the park to see the kids playing there. More than once he was found inside the trampoline net with the boys!

 I asked the boys what they loved best about Barkley and this is what the responded with:-
Matthew: "He was the cutest dog and I loved his cuddles."
Ryan: "I loved how Barkley would smell my butt when i did a fart!"
Ben: "I love that he laid down and played monster trucks with us!" (He would too! He would get right in the thick of it laying down beside they boys.)
Cid, Trev and Eli are going to miss his snoring the most! And Cleon and Michelle are going to miss their morning chat as he insisted they acknowledge him on their way out every morning!

The boys are coping well, so far. Ryan was the first to comprehend what was happening. They are still processing it and it probably wont be until they go out into the backyard to play that it will hit them. Nathan is having a really rough time as Busta and Barkley were his first pets. He is feeling like he doesn't have much luck with them so far!

This is what we would have greet us every time we came home. The look that says "where ya been and why didn't cha take me?"

So we have laid him to rest in the spot where he constantly dug. We thought he would get a kick out of that and Nathan thought it was the softest dirt to dig!