I wish I would have said one last goodbye to Barkley. It all began in Swanton, Ohio, where we went to pick up a Retriever puppy that we named Barkley after Charles Barkley, the basketball player. When my brother received Barkley, Barkley only was six weeks old. Meeting Barkley became the most memorable day of my life!

 Barkley stayed at my house for months and months because during this time, we trained him to follow his commands. As Barkley was grew, he still used the bathroom inside until he learned to wait to use the bathroom outside, and he had to learn to not destroy all his toys.Summer finally arrived after a long winter, which mean’t Barkley and I would finally be able to go  swimming in my back yard. When throwing a toy from under the water, he’d dunk only his head under the water to get the toy. I loved most about Barkley, he would give me kisses when I would give him a treat or when I went outside to cry. He’d always lick away all the tears rolling down my face. I taught him how to sit, he would even try to catch treats, toys and all the dark brown sticks in my backyard.

 Kolby, his great pyrenees brother, and Barkley would always race me from fence to fence until I became tired from running back and forth. I always fed them beef and chicken meals, crystal clear water, love, and care for the boys wherever they needed me. When I took them on walks, Barkley wanted always want to pull me and just wanted to stop and sniff the flowery air, while Kolby walked perfectly and would be a gentle boy for me. In this case, it made better sense for me to walk Kolby instead of walking Barkley. I loved training him to become more calm and not too hyper because Barkley always liked to jump when he didn’t need to or would bark randomly at people he didn’t know. 

My brother, Eric, would shout, “Don’t walk him,” because he knew Barkley would always “drag” me around. Since Barkley was a only a pup, he would always bite me, but at the time I didn’t realize why he was biting me, but now I know he would bite me  because all puppies have a playful habit of biting with their sharp teeth and tear everything apart. When he grew up, Barkley became an outside dog, and his brother Kolby was an outside dog, too. Every night before I would put him to bed, I would make sure he was warm, and I would give him an enormous kiss and hug good night. Barkley would give me a kiss back, too! 

Barkley went back home to his house in Van Wert, OH where Eric, his owner, lived by a busy highway, in fact; many cars go up and down his road to get to the highway or off the highway. Barkley and Kolby lay outside on their mint and rose leashes, and while Eric was at work, Barkley decided to slip from his mint collar. He decided to chase after a dark black raven to the other side of the road.  Kolby tried to go with him, but his rose shock collar shocked him when he passed the line. Kolby stayed in the yard watching, making sure Barkley wouldn’t get hit by any of the speedy cars going by, but then Kolby saw that a silver semi was charging at him. Kolby barked and barked for Barkley, even though Barkley kept dashing after the dark raven and then BOOM zooming by, a silver semi hit Barkley leaving him whining and whimpering on the road. Kolby saw the whole thing happen and whined for him for hours on hours. 

Well, my sister-in-law, Bri, looked outside and started running to Kolby to calm him down, then realized Barkley whimpered on the road. Once she reached Barkley, she just started to bawl because all Barkley’s body parts were detached from his body.

 Bri called my brother sobbing, “Barkley got ran over by a semi!” My brother raced home finding Bri and sheriffs at their house. The sheriff spoke to my brother: “Your dog has passed, but here is his collar and dog tags.” 

That night I received a call from my brother. He told me all that had happened to Barkley, and I couldn’t stop crying for weeks because I loved that dog. I told him how sorry I was and how much Barkley mean’t to me and how much of a good dog he was. Barkley and I always made time  together memorable. Barkley was the best friend in the whole wide world and I loved him, loved him. I said to myself, ‘Nikki, he will always be with you and will always love you.’ We were never apart because I always wanted to play or be with him.

 Weeks after the accident, I went out back and sat on my swing, where I used to pet Barkley or throw him sticks, and found one of his favorite balls and  his dog tags. I still have both items in my room, and no one knows I have them until now. I will always cherish my memories with Barkley. Everytime I visit my brothers I go over to where they buried Barkley and just reminisce in all the good times we had together and wished his accident never happened. That way I keep could playing with him and love him every day like I used to. If Barkley were capable of coming back to life, I would treat him as my own and give him millions of kisses or treats.

Barkley’s death made me more helpful and more caring towards animals. I realized I needed to get a job working with and helping with other dogs to care and love on them like I did Barkley. I still wish Barkley was around now, so I could be fortunate enough to see him continue to grow into a more intelligent and calm boy than he was when I first met him.