Barclay and Gordon
Few bonds are as close as a man and his dog. I sorely miss Barclay, the soccer dog, who’s living with his “sister” Kristin while Kay and I are “somewhere else” for a long time.
Kristin reports he’s doing well, eating all his food, taking his medicine, and happily playing goalie with his ball.
I wonder if Robert Frost had a dog. After writing “Mending Wall,” – Something there is that doesn’t love a wall….”, he might have thought, “Something there is that loves…a dog.”
Views from the Edge 
I must put in a word for cats. š I know dogs are special, and seem, at first or even second sight, to bond more with humans than cats. Cats are just as different from each other as dogs are. We have had lots of cats now. Most have not been lap cats, but one or two have slept on BJ fairly regularly. And we bonded to all of them, and they to us, in differing degrees. The first thing we do when we plan our trips is find a responsible person who loves animals to cat-and-house sit. We leave them lots of instructions about everything, but those for the cat are always most extensive and particular.
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CA, for 18 years we had a cat named Nina who napped on my neck. Only after she died did I learn I was allergic. -:) I’m a slow learner. Nina disappeared the day we moved from Wooster to Cincinnati. Several months later friends in Wooster were sure they saw Nina around our old house. They thought we’d move back. In the ninth month Nina appeared back in Cincinnati. The vet said she had been on her own the whole time. The pads were worn down on her paws. Some of the old characteristics had vanished in the wild, but witting the week they all returned. Wonderful cat. Both VERY self-resourceful (she was a hunter) and bonded.
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That’s a wonderful story about Nina. I think there are people who specialize in animals (precious with a special in animals). BJ is one, and clearly you are another. I think either of you could bond with anything from a chimpanzee to a platypus. I bond with them too, but there’s a difference, and they know it.
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Never met a platypus I didn’t like. -:) I bet BJ hasn’t either.
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Such a great and evocative picture of the close relationship you and Barkley have. Love it!
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Karin, I know I kept saying no one is “special” (we’re precious but not special), but Barclay comes pretty close to being both. He just get better with time.
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This post makes me happy/sad. Happy that the two of you are together enjoying the beginning of this new phase in your lives. Sad that Barclay is not with you. After your last post, I found myself picturing Barclay enjoying the travels with you. Now I have to change my imaginings to see the fun you all are having in your different ways.
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I really miss the little guy. But he loves Kristin and she plays ball with him all the time.
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Good to know!
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