Barkley

Barkley 06-034-D is a Shih-Tzu. He is 7 years old. Barkley is neutered, vaccinated, groomed and had his dental work done this week. He is a handsome Sand and White boy with Smokey highlights! He has a great personality and "talks" (grunts!) when he needs your attention(Or just for the fun of it) He lived with a loving family until two weeks ago. Circumstances were such that keeping Barkley was no longer an option. Tearfully the family surrendered him to NASAP.

Why such a prince in " special care " you ask ? On June 27 2004 while visiting friends at the lake Barkley had an accident. He slipped a disk in his back and cut off circulation to both hind legs for several minutes. Barkley had surgery at a Calgary Orthopaedic Veterinarian Clinic were he stayed for a month! With lots of love from the family and many dear friends Barkley was able to walk again after 6 MONTHS!Just short of a miracle. And now he walks and runs and tears a strip every time he goes outside because you see Barkly does NOT KNOW HE IS HANDICAPPED. The best way to describe his gait is "flip-flopping ". His hind legs flip-flop sideways while he runs. He cannot climb stairs and he needs help sitting next to you. He slept on his former owners bed but is now kennel trained. He sleeps all night and wakes up at approx. 7:30 AM. Barkley needs to have a routine because like anyone with spinal cord injuries he cannot always predict the urgency of bowel movements. He is clean but needs a quick check when he returns inside ( he does not feel if anything remains ) A quick wipe with a wet-cloth is sometimes needed. Routine is a must.He tries so hard.

His personality is great. He has a whole vocabulary of "grunts". He spent 5 days at a kennel and the caretaker had nothing but praise for this boy.Everybody who meets him loves him.

What kind of home does this boy need ?

Preferably NOT hard wood ( although his foster mom has tile flooring ) He "skies" across.

No steps ( unless you carry him ) He can wiggle up one or two steps. Same going down. He is good with other dogs.

Having Barkley for a couple of weeks now I can see why the family put all the effort and extreme expenses into saving this boy. They must be heartbroken.

Baby pictures of Barkley come with his file.