About Barney

URGENT URGENT We are located in Plainwell, Michigan. I apologize for such a long 'bio', but you will see why it's necessary. If you are unable to help us, would you please give me some other suggestions/resources, because we haven't had any luck so far. Thanks. HERE'S THE STORY ON BARNEY: We don't want to re-home him, but we need to for his best interests. He has been with us since he was a pup. We bought him from a breeder here in MI. He has papers, though I never registered him because he's neutered. He has all the SB traits - lovable, loyal, laid back, and LOVES people and animals (with a few exceptions - see below). As you'll see from the pictures, he does great with all our kids, including our 2-yr-old, and lives alongside all our other animals (rabbits, cats, ducks & chickens). We LOVE this boy, but we're realizing we don't have the expertise and infrastructure to help him and protect him/others from a couple of his 'issues'. ISSUE #1: HIS BEHAVIOR WITH FOOD. We have worked to break him of his obsession with food, and while he is under control with our family, the unlikely person who isn't paying attention (usually young kids) will find their hand (and whatever food is in it) in his mouth. It's not aggressive, he just wants whatever they're eating. So, we ALWAYS have to put him up when kids are around eating. THIS IS PROBLEMATIC because we host a lot of families with small kids in our home. He needs a home/owner who won't have this vulnerable crowd around or who can appropriately train him regarding this obsession/behavior. ISSUE #2: HE DOESN'T LIKE MALE DOGS. This just started a couple of years ago when we considered adopting his brother who needed re-homing. During a 'meet and greet', his brother became really aggressive towards him, which Barney had never experienced before. He has never been the same since; so if a male dog comes on our property or in his space, he becomes aggressive and protective. He is NOT like this with female dogs. THIS IS PROBLEMATIC because he has managed to escape our property multiple times and we fear him attacking someone's dog. He always comes back home and nothing has ever happened, but we don't want to risk that something WILL happen. We cannot afford the infrastructure he needs to retain him safely on our 7 acre property, though we've tried. ISSUE #3: HIS PROTECTIVE NATURE. Barney LOVES 99% of the adults/kids who come into our house or on our property with the exception of workmen and a few children. With the workmen, it's as if he senses they're not our 'friends' & he goes into protective mode. He's never attacked anyone, he just growls and barks, so we always have to put him in our room. This is doable, albeit annoying. The BIGGER PROBLEM is there have been 4 children he has growled at in five eyears and 2 that he has bitten. One instance was when he had his head in the trash can (an obvious 'no-no') and was surprised from behind by our niece who was coming up to pet him. He whipped around and bit her hand without even noticing who it was. We believe this was more of an isolated instance than aggression, but nonetheless something that needs to be addressed. The 2nd bite was towards another niece who tried to pet him after he growled at her. He has a particular dislike towards this child. The only explanation we have for this behavior is that this niece is particularly aggressive towards our daughter and Barney senses it. Regardless, we can't house a dog that is going to be aggressive towards an outside family member. Other than that, he has growled at two other children that were standing on our property away from him. We can only assume he saw them as a threat, but with the amount of children we have in our home and around our property, we can't take this risk. I'm really, really hoping we can find him a home where these issues either won't be an issue or with someone who can help him overcome them. HE TRULY IS A GREAT DOG! He's so sweet and lovable, but it's just these isolated instances that have made us realize we need to take action. We would HATE to see him put down, but this will be our only alternative if we can't find him a home.

Allegan County
Plainwell, Michigan 49080