Why ‘Barking At Rainbows’

The Barking At Rainbows name is really a tribute to our wonderful dog, Sam.  Sam is 15 years old, and we have had him since he was six weeks old.  He is not just a dog to us, like many people who own a dog, he is very much part of the family.

Sam likes to bark at things.  Hey, he’s a dog, it’s his job right.  It’s just that Sam likes to bark at odd times.  He woke up in the middle of the night once and started barking at his pillow!  On a walk besides the Ystradfellte waterfalls in Wales, he stopped to bark manically at a rock in the middle of the river for a good five minutes.  Nothing would move him.

Sam once barked at a rainbow!  It’s just the way he is.

We love Sam to bits, and he is the best dog in the world.  He will come over to you and put a paw on your knee.  That means he wants something.  You get up to follow him and he will take you to the front door if he wants to go for a walk.  He takes you to the back door if he just wants a pee.  He will lead you to the fridge if he fancies a drink of milk, or the cupboard if he wants a biscuit (his own) or a chew.  He even lets you know when he is tired and wants to go to bed, but he expects you to follow him.  He says please, and licks your hand to say thank you.  He nips you very gently on the nose to give you a kiss.

Sam is 15, so he’s getting on a bit now.  That’s 105 in dog years, and we treat him with the respect that any old fellow deserves.  He is partially blind and deaf, so when he does hear something and starts to bark, I get excited, just to know that he heard something that excited him.  He is very clever.  He knows that Jason is due home from work at 3pm, and he goes to the window to watch for him.  Sam gets so excited when he sees him coming up the path.

Sam sleeps a lot now.  At this moment he is sleeping on his pillow at my feet, snoring away.  His legs are jumping.  I think he’s dreaming about running across fields.  Or perhaps he is chasing that rainbow.

Sara