abcbernie

ABC Dog School

Bernie

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I believe Bernie, so-named because he resembles a St. Bernard in coloring (his face, that is) is also one of Star's pups. He spent his first winter tied to a fence with no shelter. Then he was put in a strange pen made from skids, or pallets. I worried constantly that he was going to hang himself, as he was also on a cable. He had some close calls!

   He was one of the pups who was loose the day of The Great Escape, and was put into one of my pens, apart from the girls. His owner came to take care of him. One day she decided to take him home. Whenever he got loose, he came over for a visit.

   One day he came over when Sula had gauze sticking out of his newly repaired eye socket, and tried to pull the gauze out. So I had to tie him up, but he kept trampling my flowers, so I put him in a crate, and left for a couple of hours. When I came back, he was still here, so he spent the night in my basement.

   Another day, when the owner wasn't home, I found Bernie sitting outside a pen with very little cable to spare. He was in the same situation as Sula had been. I just couldn't leave him like that, so I brought him home and put him in his old pen. His owner left him here, but one day when she was feeding, he got out the gate and ran down the road. After she told me this, I became concerned for his welfare and asked if I could keep him.

   Bernie liked to dump his water bowl, and I filled it about four times a day. One day, when his former owner was here feeding her dog, Annie, she saw Bernie needed water. I had an extra Fortex type bucket sitting by the pens with water for Annie, and she put it into Bernie's pen. When I came home, I found it in his dog box all chewed up. I was not happy. She only wanted to do a good thing, but pups chew, and that's why he didn't have the bucket in the first place. Neither of us mentioned the incident.

   It was quite a challenge when the girls came in heat. On one side of him was Annie, and on the other was Jasmine. Annie was an old hand at the business of procreation, and if Bernie had known how to do his part, there would have been a mating right through the fence! So I put Annie in another pen for awhile. Jasmine, not having any experience, was no help, so I didn't have to move her. Once was enough of this, and Bernie took a trip to the vet that first summer.

    Bernie doesn't have a good dog house for winter, so he used Dahlia's pen last year, but on really cold nights he came into the basement. He liked this do much that he did it all summer, too. So now he comes in every night and is really good about going to his crate, and back to his pen in the mornings.

   He really loves his nylon bone, his rope, his ball, and the big Orca he got for Christmas. He learned to sit really fast. When he discovered that it was good for getting things, he began sitting when he wanted me to open his gate and let him into the house. Bernie the Brain! He catches on quickly, and walks well on a leash. I hope he has a good home someday, so he can do a lot of other things, and be someone's best bud. He's a good boy.