Rescue Spotlight: Barry Dickerson!

When Barry’s previous owners contacted Corgi Connection founder Jeanette DeMars about taking their dog, she thought they were leaving and couldn’t take him with them. “I thought they were moving but eventually found out they were going to be taking an extended camping trip in the Redlands” writes Jeanette.

“When they opened their car door, I could see why. There was a crate in the back and I still couldn’t see the FULL picture. It took two of us to lift the crate and open the door to get Barry out. Oh my DOG! I had never seen anything like it. I quickly realized this was a rescue situation — a rescue from an abusive owner, and I don’t use that word lightly. I literally could not lift Barry in to my car, and what was even worse is they had given him a sedative before the trip because they told me he didn’t like to go in the car.”

                                       I am a whole lotta handsome!

“Off we went to the vet for a quick check over and weigh-in (70 pounds!) Thus began the official start of Barry’s journey with us. Next stop was foster Mom Sarah K.’s place, where he’d spend four months before finding his happy-ever-after home.”

Sarah fills in the next chapter of Barry’s story:

“Sweet roly-poly Barry came into my life on June 15th. Jeanette DeMars of Corgi Connection dropped him off with me, my dog Piper and house cat Chase. None of us could believe what we had gotten ourselves into. Barry was so large we could hardly lift him out of the car. His skin was flaky and he was lousy with ticks, in addition to sporting huge tufts of unkempt hair. His little foot pads were “hairy” or “mossy” because of disuse. He was honestly one of the most disgusting (but beautiful) dogs I have ever had to deal with.”

“One look into those brown eyes and knew I would do my best to make him a real dog again.  In addition to all of the foster training hurdles we worked on, my biggest concern was that I was going to kill him simply by moving him around. We started with laps around my yard.  He was new to a leash, so that added a dimension of activity as well. We decided to put him on 3/4 cup of light food twice a day.  Soon we were up to walking down to the end of our block and back.”

“It was painful to watch him lay there and breathe. His breathing was so labored and quick. I joked with many people that my house hadn’t heard this much heavy breathing in a LONG time. Doing just about anything wore Barry out.  We were lucky enough to discover canned pumpkin as a low cal icy treat in the middle of the summer. Bones and other treats were few and far between. We (me, Barry and Piper) made walks a twice daily event.  At first Piper, was quite put out concerning the sssslllllloooowww pace and the short distances we walked, but we worked our way up to longer and longer walks.  Barry loved to be out and about although it was hard for him, and frequent visits to the vet showed his weight going down.”

“I’d be lying if I said he didn’t get called Fat Barry, but his steady progress soon led to an incredible shrinking dog with a bright future. His breathing became easier. VERY gradually we began to see his activity level increase, his interest levels grow more diverse, his stamina improve and his zest for life came pouring through his soulful eyes. It was great to see some of the real Corgi traits come out: ornery dashes, barking, a love of belly scritches, back dancing and generally snooping around everywhere. One of Barry’s best traits is his fondness for people. He enjoyed visiting my family, friends and the sheriff’s department. He had so many people cheering for him, loving him and wishing him toward a better life.”

Sarah D. and Jim adopted Barry from Corgi Connection on October 9th. “I’d always had Shelties” writes Sarah, “but as a lifelong horse person I was always around Corgis and loved them. In 2007, my Mom had adopted a wonderful female Pembroke named Xena. At that time Jim and I were engaged, and he lost his GSD/Doberman mix Cheyenne (whom he’d had since puppyhood) to cancer. A few months later, while my husband was away on a business trip, I “borrowed” Xena to keep me company and she never went back to my Mom! Xena was the true “Warrior Princess” of our household. I own a photography business and work quite a bit from home; she was my “assistant” and when we lost her suddenly to cancer on September 2, the silence and emptiness in our household was literally crushing.”

“I emailed Jeanette after seeing some of her rescues on Petfinder just a couple of days after losing Xena. I knew I wasn’t ready for another dog right away, but I couldn’t stand the empty house. She had a female Corgi named Star and a male named Barry.  Both were significantly overweight and not available for immediate adoption, but Jeanette encouraged me to go ahead and get my application in.”

“A few weeks later we went out to meet Star and Barry. Star was our initial favorite, but when I went in Jeanette’s house to talk to her about the dogs, Jim really bonded with Barry and changed his mind. We decided we wanted to adopt Barry and returned home to Kansas City knowing it would be at least a few weeks’ wait, as Jeanette and Sarah wanted to get a bit more weight off of him. Although they originally wanted him at 50 pounds or under before letting him go, they decided to release him to us because we’d successfully dieted Xena down to a healthy weight and maintained it for her lifetime.”

“I couldn’t wait! We went out on October 9th to get our new Corgi love.”

 
“Jim and I both fly and we took his company’s plane out to Manhattan, Kansas to get Barry. It was his first time on an airplane and he handled it like a trooper! I rode in the back with him to provide comfort for the flight back to Kansas City, but shortly after takeoff Barry was sound asleep. When we got him home, he was instantly comfortable and within thirty minutes he was sprawled on his back in our living room! It took him no time to settle into a routine and be comfortable in his forever home. Barry loves having me at home almost all the time — what a spoiled guy!”

 
“Jim and I have continued Sarah K.’s hard work and he still gets diet food and diet dog treats for a reward. We walk twice a day: a half-mile morning trot and an evening route of 1.25 miles. His weight loss has been steady and we go every other week to Petsmart to weigh in on the scales (and he usually gets to pick out a toy or some healthy dog treats).  By the end of January he was down to 41 pounds!  Our vet felt Barry should finish around 35-40 pounds as a final weight since he’s a bit of a bigger Corgi, and there isn’t a lot of excess fat left on him (but a LOT of loose skin!). I can actually feel his ribs without a layer of pudge over them. He is energetic and healthy as can be! I can’t even imagine what he was like at 70 pounds and am almost glad I never saw him in that condition. Sarah K. did a marvelous job with him.”

 
“Barry is a ham and a lover and I’m so very glad we got him. He is totally different from Xena in looks, color and personality. That’s the best thing, that he wasn’t a replacement for her, though I still miss Xena so much. Barry did fill the emptiness in this house, and Jim has grown SO attached to him! He LOVES affection and belly rubs and has been known to bark if you quit petting him when it’s “his time”. He can be a fireball and loves to run around and play with his squeaky toys, but he can also turn it off and is the king of relaxation, preferring to sprawl on his back with his legs going every which way. He’s fiercely loyal. When Jim gets home and Barry hears that garage door go up, he RACES from wherever he is in the house to wait for Daddy to come inside! He really is a total ham and like a little human in a dog suit. I felt a personality this big deserved a facebook page, so he has one.”

“I used to do obedience when I was a kid and thought it would be fun for us. Earlier this year Barry started a beginning obedience class at the Greater Kansas City Dog Training Club. Although we have a weakness when it comes to downs, he was of the best in the class at heeling and recall work, even among handlers who do obedience competitively!  With two weeks left in the advanced beginner’s class, he’ll take his Canine Good Citizen test in early April. Think good thoughts for us — Barry ROCKS all the areas tested but is still struggling with downs. He downs easily with a treat, but I was told I can’t use that during testing, so we’re trying to wean completely to the hand command by then. Once he’s down, he’s down — it’s just getting there!” 🙂

“I’ve always had a keen interest in agility and thought Barry would be really good at it. We started classes recently and he LOVES them! Agility Prep is on Monday nights (a lead-in to Foundations) and Agility Foundations on Tuesday night. He has already run across the A-frame obstacle (he actually wants to go when we get near it), through a “beginner” tunnel (a plastic 55 gallon drum on its side), is starting to learn things like contacts and just getting on noisy things, such as putting his paws on the loud, clangy teeter-totter and a wobble board. We also started with jumping by getting him to seek out the pole on the ground, then when he heads toward it voluntarily throwing the treat to get him on over. Piece of cake!” 

“Neither of us have done any agility before. I’ve done obedience trials, but that was over twenty years ago, so we have lots to learn. I sometimes feel a bit lost with some of the terminology, since I think all of the other class attendees have quite a bit of agility experience with other dogs. I do know that Barry now WANTS to go through the tunnel and over the a-frame, so he definitely is loving it!”