October Origins - Furry Fred

Well, actually his name was Barnaby, or Barney for short. Sorry for quality of pic. It's a photo of a phot which has faded somewhat.

I didn't have pets when I was a child - not exactly sure why other than the fact that we had little disposable income. My mother's parents bred Golden Retrievers (the Beauchasse strain) for several years so she had always had dogs at home. Some of my dad's childhood was spent on a farm, complete with heavy horses.

When my dad retired, mum was determined to get a dog and, of course, it had to be a Golden Retriever. So Barney came into our lives in January 2000, at 8 weeks old. He was adorable, a bundle of fur. He had many nicknames in his life but Furry Fred was my favourite.

This is my dad's favourite picture of him, looking imperiously over the fence at a house they rented for a while when the were moving back north. He would be about 3 in this photo. Life was never dull with Barnaby around - in both good and bad ways.

Unfortunately he contracted acute myeloid leukaeimia in 2009 and went from being fit and healthy to being put down in 6 weeks. It was devastating. There is still a very large Barney-shaped hole in our lives. He can never be replaced.

So our first family pet is also our last one. But Furry Fred was quite a pet!!

P.S. It's my Dad's 7oth birthday today!