Introductions: Barry

I'd like to introduce you to our handsome Jack Russell Terrier, Barry!

His name gets a lot of laughs but also a lot of approval! Jack chose his name and said he had to have a 'bloke's' name; I was very sceptical about "Barry" at first, but it totally suits him! He's also a "Bazza" or "Baz" at times, plus the odd expletive when he runs off with the washing!

We met Barry when he was five weeks old and it was love at first sight. He was a chunky little puppy with an inquisitive nature. What makes him even more special is that he was born with a little stump rather than a full tail. He was the only one in the litter of five like it, but Vets confirmed he was totally healthy and on researching I discovered this can be quite common in a number of breeds (some pups are born without a tail, some with a 'half-tail' or a little stump like Barry). On our first meeting I think Jack only had to take one look at my face and know that there was no way we were leaving without putting a deposit down. Then came the agonising but exciting weeks prepping the house ready for Barry's arrival.

Barry with his siblings

Barry days old and at 5 weeks old

 

Barry settled in at home with us very well. He became my little lost lamb following me everywhere (he still does). He had his own comfortable bed downstairs with lots of toys and a hot water bottle and within a week the crying at night had stopped (thank god!). He was soon getting up to mischief and loved exploring the house with me as long as I was close by. He loves exploring the garden too - he is eyeing up my cherry tomatoes in the garden at the moment, so I'm going to have to watch him! We've been really lucky that he's such a clever little dog and it didn't take him long at all to get the gist of toilet training. He also loves learning new tricks, "rollover" being his current favourite.

 

Barry perfected the art of the 'butter wouldn't melt' face from a very early age! (8 weeks old)

 

We took Barry to puppy classes for ten weeks and it was really good for him to meet other puppies. He's still a nervous dog even today at six months old despite often meeting dogs on walks, but with a little encouragement he's happy to say hello and then soon discovers the other dogs won't eat him and just want to play! Puppy classes were also really good fun and Barry was top of the class on more than one occasion; his recall is really good (for the most part!) and at the promise of a treat he'll do whatever he's asked to do.

 

Hogging the remote (9 weeks old)

 

Our family and friends all love Barry. I think everyone has enjoyed watching him grow, though I'm sure my friends are also a little sick of all the Instagram posts I've made about him! He grows so quickly though and being a photographer (an average one at that!) I can't help but take a million photos of him. He's grown into a really nice dog and now at almost seven months old I don't think he's got much more growing to do. He's a sturdy build just like his Dad. Barry's Dad is called Patch and he's a handsome tan and white smooth coat Jack, while Barry's Mum (Honey) is a petite tan and white rough coated Jack Russell. Barry has a lovely smooth coat and is tan and white mostly, but with cute black markings around his eyes. He has a perfectly symmetrical face and I'm sure this is what everyone falls in love with.

 

Starting to grow out of his puppy fat! (15 weeks old)

 

If you read my 'Newbie' post then you'll know that Barry broke his leg four weeks ago :-( He fractured his right femur just above the kneecap; not a bad fracture but not in the best of places. Luckily it has healed well and the limb has stayed fairly straight (there was a worry that he could have a slight bow, common in Terriers), four weeks later and this Monday just gone he had the two pins removed from the leg. The wound is healing nicely (one incision either side of the leg) and it's great to see Barry weight-bearing properly on that leg now. He's desperate for us to throw his tennis ball for him but he's got another week of taking it fairly easy. He's pleased to be back out on walks though and is allowed a 5-10 minute walk on the lead every day. He rolls his eyes at me about the fact he's on the lead (usually always racing ahead of me on a walk and then running back to me to say hello), but hopefully being strict with him over the past few weeks will mean that he won't have any long-term issues with that leg.

 

Barry loves cuddles in bed on a Saturday morning - his weekend treat! (6 months old)

 

The only problem we've come across with Barry is that he hates travelling. We go back to Cambridgeshire to visit Jack's parents every few weeks and onto my parents in Norfolk so the journey can be up to four hours. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a short trip either though, he's nearly always sick in the car and we've tried everything; putting him in different places in the car, ginger biscuits/treats before the journey, he doesn't eat for at least 3 hours before we travel and I've even tried sitting him on my lap only for him to be sick all over me too. We give him lots of fuss and sometimes he'll eventually lie down and settle. He doesn't pant in the car and only tends to shake and cry for the first fifteen minutes of a journey before going quiet and just sitting still. I think he's got a bit of anxiety about being in the car as he seems to travel a lot better when we're on the way home (almost like he knows he's going home). Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated if ever you've had similar problems with your dogs! Our Vet says he'll likely grow out of it and we continue to take him in the car even if it's just a trip to the next village to get him used to lots of car journeys. He's fine as soon as he's out of the car and pleased to see whoever we're visiting.

 

We had a trip to my parent's home in Overstrand, Norfolk back in May and that was Barry's first experience of the beach - he LOVED it! He loves water anyway (he cries to get back in the bath once I've taken him out of the water) and enjoyed chasing a ball across the sand. He soon discovered seawater doesn't taste too nice and thankfully doesn't drink it. We can't wait to go back to the seaside with him again once his leg is completely better and he's built the muscles back up.

 

Playing on Overstrand beach, Norfolk (15 weeks old)

 

To say he's become a member of the family is very appropriate, we can't imagine being without him now and he's great company for us, especially for me if Jack's working late. We love exploring the local Berkshire countryside with him and he provides us with hours of entertainment too! I'm sure he'll feature a lot in my blog posts and I hope you enjoy hearing about his latest adventures.