Barney: The four-year-old puppy

Barney is a four-year-old Coonhound with the personality of a puppy, the strength of an ox, and the speed of a cheetah. He’s a rambunctious dog with a lot of love to give, and every moment I spend with him is a pleasure even when he spends our walks practically dragging me down the road.

Barney has a sleek coat of black, brown, and white fur with subtle gray markings on his chest. His ears are floppy and fun to play with, though I haven’t been able to get a read on whether he finds this demeaning or not. Barney gets along well with other dogs and loves to run around outside with his kennel neighbors, PJ and Chief. The three are not related

, but they get along so well that I think of them as siblings. Barney can be a handful at times, but usually calms down once he is able to get his energy out on a walk or in the yard. He seems to enjoy running around and sniffing his surroundings, which I’m perfectly content to let him do when he’s roaming free in the yard, but on walks? To Barney’s dismay, not so much. If I or anyone else allowed him to go towards all the interesting smells he picks up on walks, you would never see us again. Barney is also gradually learning commands and finally understands “sit,” though he seems to perform it at his own leisure for the moment. He’s a smart dog, so I feel confident he’ll get sitting down to a science eventually.

Barney is the sweetest dog and my biggest wish is that he’ll find a family with a lot of land and a love for the outdoors so he can run and sniff around to his heart’s content with another dog or two. Hopefully he’ll be able to master sit as well.