 CARA's Little Star
Barney
Submitted by:
Joy and Jim Bongiorno
Story:
Barney was
the most precious friend Joy and I could ever have in our
lives.
On one
unexpecting day, Joy’s brother called her to tell her he had a
rescue cocker that he thought would be a perfect pal for her.
When she met Barney, Joy’s brother told her that Barney (not his
original name) had been dropped off at a rescue by a family who
had bought the puppy as a Christmas gift for their son and the
little boy got bored and did not want him anymore. Joy’s first
sight of Barney was one of true love. Little did Joy’s brother
know how “perfect” Barney would be and how much he would mean to
Joy’s life and to our life together for years to come.
When Joy and
I met about a year later, Barney was only 1 ½ years old and he
was still all puppy. We believe that Barney had been treated
badly by the previous family and he initially had struggles
trusting new faces in Joy’s life. Although he was still a baby
himself, he had already established his place in her home and
was Joy’s stronghold and protector. It took Barney a while to
trust me as a newcomer into the household. As time went by,
Barney and I also bonded to become best of buddies along with
his deepening relationship with Joy.
Barney was
always a loving boy and the most handsome of characters you will
ever meet. He loved all toys, especially those that squeaked
the loudest. One of his favorite toys was a silly plastic
funnel that he could use to actually start playtime by himself.
He would throw it up in the air, chew on it, growl at it and
have a great time with that silly funnel. Another favorite toy
for Barney was his squeaky jax rock toy. He would carry that
toy to bed with him every single night. Joy and I would be
downstairs and Barney would grab his jax rock in his mouth and
stand by the stairs to say “Mom, Dad, it is time to go to bed“
and he would walk up the stairs and go lay down for the night.
It was like clockwork every night.
Barney
taught Joy and I many important lessons about life. We found
out later that with his previous family, he had actually been
abused. When having some X-rays taken for a surgical procedure,
the vet told us that Barney had B-B gun pellets in his hip that
had been there since he was a puppy. Although he was much older
at the time, it just about broke our hearts to think of him
being hurt and scared like that. However, true to form, Barney
was always stoic and strong in the face of challenges. He was
the rock of Joy’s life when we met and he became the rock of our
lives together. Barney was part of our family for more than 16
years and died at the age of 17 in July 2003.
During the
last year of Barney’s life, he had many medical challenges, but
Joy and I were able to help him keep a good quality of life and
watch over him with the help of a tremendous vet and so many
guardian angels. He struggled with seizures and kidney problems
that required daily IV fluids along with numerous other issues
in his late life, but he was always brave and strong.
As a person,
I can truly tell you that Barney taught me how to love like I
never thought was possible. He knew how to love beyond his
understanding and beyond his life on this earth. Joy and I lost
Barney on one difficult day in July, but I recall Barney’s heart
on that final day. I remember Joy holding him and hugging his
neck and he was kissing her to say “Mom, you are my best friend
and I will always love you”. I asked to hold him and when I
picked him up Barney just pressed his head into my shoulder as
to tell me “Dad, I love you, and it is OK to let go”. I needed
that hug from him more than he would ever know.
To this day,
Barney is the inspiration for how we live life and treat
others. He showed us how to love beyond our means, to be strong
and stoic against all challenges, and to be the truest of
friends on this earth and for all eternity. Although our
current babies, Lili and Nicholas, never knew him, Barney paved
the way for their life to be full of better understanding of
what it is to love and be true.
Barney (our
“Baby B”) is with us now and will be forever.
Our hearts
are always with you, Joy, Jim, Lili and Nicholas
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