When I was 12 years old, we got an almost purebred black labrador retriever. I think my father had the idea he would become an excellent helper when he went on his frequent hunting trips. But Barney was not always that cooperative.
We couldn't let Barney run loose, so during the day when there was no one to walk him, we had him on a leash that was connected to a long line the leash could slide back and forth on. It was just enough leash to enable Barney to tear the seat out of the pants of the mailman, or maybe tear his pant cuffs. Our mailmen were not fond of Barney.
Barney was a loving, gentle dog most of the time, but a few things set him off. One was mailmen of course, but the worst of all next to cats and dogs in his territory, was drunks.
Barney could spot a drunk a block away, and if he was loose he would tear after them. I used to wonder why he hated drunks so much, but later on when I saw some of the drunks going by and throwing things at Barney while he was tied up in the yard, it became clear why he had developed such a violent reaction when he smelled booze on someone.
If you were holding the leash when he spotted his enemy, he would knock you right off your feet and drag you halfway down the road before you could blink.
It was the same when he saw a cat or a dog he viewed as an intruder.
It usually fell to me to walk the dog after school, and in my mid teens I used to go for 5 mile jogs, and bring Barney with me. Barney was always way ahead of me for the first mile or two, but he would get tired a lot sooner than me. But months of running up stairs, and going for long jogs gave him a very powerful chest, made him look more big chested than the average black labrador.
Behind our house, there were a lot of cats that lived in an untended basement, and these cats used to tease the life out of Barney when he was tied up on his long leash in the yard. They knew exactly how far his leash went, and they would deliberately sit and torment Barney just inches beyond the extent of his reach. Unfortunately for some of them, Barney sometimes snapped his leash, and subsequently the cats neck in his not-so-gentle jaws.
This photo reminds me of Raskal when he was a kitten.
Then one day, my little brother found a stray wild kitten and brought it home. Barney was furious. He had been the center of attention until that point, and he did not like that cat one bit. He had had nothing but bad treatment from cats, and he wasn't about to let this wild kitten invade his territory!
From the beginning, Raskal the cat was a menace to Barney. He would hide under the Couch, or under the sofa chair, and when Barney came after him and stuck his nose underneath to sniff him out, hit would swipe at Barney with his claws, then run out and while Barney, infuriated was barking and chomping and trying to reach at him under the couch, Raskal would whip around behind Barney and bite his tail.
I watched this scene many times, and it was hilarious to watch their interactions. Inevitably Barney would eventually catch the kitten in his jaws, but always before he could crunch down and make an end of this pest, one of us would step in and scold him, and he would get this guilty look on his face, and gently set the kitten down.
Over time, Barney realized that Raskal was now part of the family, and resigned himself to Raskals right to be in the house. Barney would lay down on the floor with his head laying on his crossed paws, and Raskal would boldly curl up right in the middle of his paws, or sometimes lay on Barney's back. It was hard to believe that they could become such close companions after their violent first few weeks together. After that, Barney became Raskals fierce protector when any other dogs threatened the mischievous feline, whose escapades frequently roused the ire of neighbourhood dogs.
I would love to have had photos from those days, but digital cameras weren't around then, and the black and white photos I did take weren't many. Most of them didn't turn out.
We couldn't let Barney run loose, so during the day when there was no one to walk him, we had him on a leash that was connected to a long line the leash could slide back and forth on. It was just enough leash to enable Barney to tear the seat out of the pants of the mailman, or maybe tear his pant cuffs. Our mailmen were not fond of Barney.
Barney was a loving, gentle dog most of the time, but a few things set him off. One was mailmen of course, but the worst of all next to cats and dogs in his territory, was drunks.
Barney could spot a drunk a block away, and if he was loose he would tear after them. I used to wonder why he hated drunks so much, but later on when I saw some of the drunks going by and throwing things at Barney while he was tied up in the yard, it became clear why he had developed such a violent reaction when he smelled booze on someone.
If you were holding the leash when he spotted his enemy, he would knock you right off your feet and drag you halfway down the road before you could blink.
It was the same when he saw a cat or a dog he viewed as an intruder.
It usually fell to me to walk the dog after school, and in my mid teens I used to go for 5 mile jogs, and bring Barney with me. Barney was always way ahead of me for the first mile or two, but he would get tired a lot sooner than me. But months of running up stairs, and going for long jogs gave him a very powerful chest, made him look more big chested than the average black labrador.
Behind our house, there were a lot of cats that lived in an untended basement, and these cats used to tease the life out of Barney when he was tied up on his long leash in the yard. They knew exactly how far his leash went, and they would deliberately sit and torment Barney just inches beyond the extent of his reach. Unfortunately for some of them, Barney sometimes snapped his leash, and subsequently the cats neck in his not-so-gentle jaws.
This photo reminds me of Raskal when he was a kitten.
Then one day, my little brother found a stray wild kitten and brought it home. Barney was furious. He had been the center of attention until that point, and he did not like that cat one bit. He had had nothing but bad treatment from cats, and he wasn't about to let this wild kitten invade his territory!
From the beginning, Raskal the cat was a menace to Barney. He would hide under the Couch, or under the sofa chair, and when Barney came after him and stuck his nose underneath to sniff him out, hit would swipe at Barney with his claws, then run out and while Barney, infuriated was barking and chomping and trying to reach at him under the couch, Raskal would whip around behind Barney and bite his tail.
I watched this scene many times, and it was hilarious to watch their interactions. Inevitably Barney would eventually catch the kitten in his jaws, but always before he could crunch down and make an end of this pest, one of us would step in and scold him, and he would get this guilty look on his face, and gently set the kitten down.
Over time, Barney realized that Raskal was now part of the family, and resigned himself to Raskals right to be in the house. Barney would lay down on the floor with his head laying on his crossed paws, and Raskal would boldly curl up right in the middle of his paws, or sometimes lay on Barney's back. It was hard to believe that they could become such close companions after their violent first few weeks together. After that, Barney became Raskals fierce protector when any other dogs threatened the mischievous feline, whose escapades frequently roused the ire of neighbourhood dogs.
I would love to have had photos from those days, but digital cameras weren't around then, and the black and white photos I did take weren't many. Most of them didn't turn out.
