I am handsome now, but was a real cutie when puppy

Hi, I am Barney.

At this pic I am about 1,5 year old. My mum made me sit in the flower field... she said the girls would be impressed, but I am not that sure. Well, that is beside the obvious grandmothers and other ladies in my life. I don`t think a ruff guy like me, should hang out in a flower filed. But what boss say, I have to do (at least sometimes).

I have not always been ruff tow, I was very scared the day I was taken away from my mum. I was only 5 weeks, but her owners did not wanted me - nor my brothers and sisters, so luckily they made a phone call to a rescue centre, instead of letting us go to the fields of eternity, way to early. The lady from the rescue centre (Anu) then became my mum :) and is she the most lovely lady or what! I am always very happy when I get to visit the Boondock`s ladies again

(http://www.boondocks.fi/).

Anu and the other ladies took good care of us for the 2 weeks when we where there, and I could see tears coming form their eyes the day I left. That was when I was 7 weeks, and my new mum came to pick me up. I was by then already a quite ruff guy, but still not prepared for the big change in my life. After a scary car drive - that took forever, with me hiding under the car seat (I got free from Misada (one of my playmates from Thailand) holding me).

I was curries, but insecure, when I entered my new home for the very fist time. I was a bit shy in the beginning, but then when I understood that this strange smelling creature, was not intending to hurt me, life changed dramatic. That took about 1 day :)

I slept next to the master bed for the first weeks, and if I needed to go out for a pee, the service was excellent. The 3 day of my new life, I peed 13 times, and only one of them ended as an accident on the floor. It is not THAT easy when you have 4 legs, to remember that also the back pows have to be on the newspaper before you pee... Nobody got angry if "something" happened inside, but as I got treats when doing it on the outside, it was very motivating to hold it in, being a hungry growing man as I was.

My first best friend was "Ugle mugle" (funny name). I loved that owl, and it stayed with me until there was nothing left of her... I think I even eat parts of her. Actually, my very first friend was a yellow duck! But that one I had to leave at the rescue centre, so to get "Ugle mugle" as a new friend, was great! She was there with me day and night.

After "Ugle Mugle" I have killed a lot of other teddy bears also. I love to bit their head of, and pull out all the white stuff inside. The problem is that I don`t know how to get it back in... but the white stuff kind of look like snow too, so just having it around on the floor, is nice too.

When I was 8 weeks, my second ear came up. Mum kind of hoped I would look this adorable forever, but that would have been too cute. I was already confused from all the ladies in the park calling me "IHANA" (witch mean beautiful in Finish). Sometimes I just wanted to bite their shoes, and tell them to call me Barney! B A R N E Y !

My first name was actually not Barney. For about 2 weeks I was called "Sir Toby". That was after a black and white theatre play that are shown every Christmas in Scandinavia and Germany (at least) I don`t know what it has to do with the Christmas tow as ¨the play is about this old lady that are celebrating her birthday together with her butler and her imaginary friends (that used to be real friends, but are by then all dead). The play is called "Grevinnen and Hovmestern". But as my folks found out after about 2 weeks that I did not have what it takes to be a Sir (!!? - but who want to be named after a invisible dead guy anyway!), they named my Barney instead (after the cartoon Flintstone`s, where Barney is Fred`s best friend). They thought I looked like him. I like that name more, as it is cool. Since there has been all this confusion about my name, I sometimes pretend that I don`t know my name at all (hi hi).

I live in Finland, in a city called Tampere (http://www.tampere.fi/) and as you might know, Finland is a quite cold country. But that do not bother me at all, as I was born with this wonderful warm double fur, that keeps me warm even in minus 30 degrees. I love the snow. It is the greatest invention of all! you can sleep in it, role around in it, eat it - and even pee in it ;). I love the snow! I am sure I was made for the snow, and maybe one of my parents or grandparents was a husky... I like to think so, as huskies are one of the coolest dogs.

The fur also protect me against the heat in summer time, but I think it was mostly designed for the winter. I love winter, and winter love me. Luckily my folks love the winter too, so I get to be a lot outside.

When my folks first started to take me outside for more then just peeing, I was a bit scared, but also overwhelmed. I had never walked on grass before nor smelled the ground.

I can remember my first stick :) I guess all dogs do... I am not sure what is so wonderful about them, but they taste great! Specially those you can fish out of the water... or even better, they have been burned AND are in the water! If they where for sale, I am sure they would have coasted more then 1 of the bones I have hidden in the caught (don`t tell anybody).

With speed as fast as the light (!!) I had my first fresh run in the free. And loved my freedom, and and still do. Sometimes a bit too much my folks thinks. But just as my mum, I love to feel the wind in my hair and to go where ever the road takes me.

At this age, I guess I did not like to be more then 2 meters away from my folks, but later, the explorer in my woke up, but that is for another time.

My mum likes this pics... I don`t think it describes me very well! But, I am kind of cute tow. I would never be aloud to bite her pants anymore... I miss that. That was a nice part of being small, you did not have to behave... you just was who you where, and even of they told you it was not OK, their smiled said something else.

Being adorable is a full time job, and it makes you kind of tiered. I slept a lot when I was young. My folks go to work everyday, so I sleep at home, and save my energy for them to come home. They started very slowly to leave me alone, and only left me for a few hours in the beginning. I kind of got used of sleeping the hole day, and even if it is boring to be alone, it is kind of nice to wake up from them coming true the door, knowing that the rest of the day will be fun.

In the weekends I get to go even more out, and I always know it is one of those days when it takes a bit extra time before someone come to take me out.

I was also very good in learning to walk nicely with a leash when I was a puppy (as you can see). I guess all dogs have to learn to walk nicely next to their owners, but I did not do that without protesting a lot! I could not understand why I had to be attached like that. I was much better of by my self - and I still think so today. But for some reason, I am the only one in this household that think so!

HEY! WHO INSERTED THIS PICTURE?
Maaaaaaaan! Isen`t there any privacy here?

I have the best playmate in world in my dad. I am not sure if he like that I call him dad, but he is ;) Holger is his name, and -i love when he join me on the floor, and we play with "lummel". "Lummel" is my blue squeaking toy! It is of the few that I have net destroyed. It is not because I love it so much, it is more because I don`t know how to kill it! It is made of same type of plastic, as they use to make the black box in the plains, that always survive the plane crashes I think. At least something very similar. It is undestroyable! And I love the sound it makes ;)

See how small I was? It did not lasted very long, I grew very fast!

This is my mum. She don`t like when I kiss her on the mouth :) But I am kind of embarrassed when she is kissing me in public to, so it is equal I think.

And then I have a brother too! :)

I like him, as he loves to play with me, and he never get tiered, as long as I treat him nicely. his name is Freddy, and he only visit us now and then. But when he is here, then I know there will be few boring moments. The only part is that I am not aloud to play football together with him. But I guess that is how it is between big and little brothers, that the big brother don`t want the "small" around all the time.

So this was a taste of the beginning of my life. I have plenty more to tell, but that have to be for another time, as now I urgently need to go out to water the trees!


See yeah!