BARNEY BOWS OUT..

Sadly for Barney, he wasn`t well enough to take part in the Kennel Club`s Good Citizen Dog Gold Award Test (KCGCDGAT) recently, so he had to bow out gracefully. His `handler` didn`t feel too good either, so the chance was missed to add to the Bronze and Silver Awards he has already got.

Even if he had been able to take the test, however, I fear he would have been declared `not ready` (the Kennel Club don`t like to use the word `failed` as it might have psychological repercussions for both the dog and the handler.) Barney can do most of the things required for the test apart from staying down and not moving whilst his handler goes out of sight. He either gets up and tries to follow her or he just lays on his back kicking his legs in the air with a smile on his face. Well, he`s a happy dog.

Anyway, to get over his disappointment, now that he`s back to normal, he had a good run through the bluebells in our nearby woods with his mate Woody. I think you can tell by their expressions that the last thing on their minds was the KCGCDGAT. And who can blame them? So, back to the training classes and better luck next time, Barney.