The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!

THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.

TODAY:  Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. Very warm. High of 76. Chance of rain 70%.  “A” for most of the day until the rain arrives late in the afternoon.

SUNDAY:  Mostly sunny. High of 65. “A”

Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

OK. There have been countless articles about Kristi Noem, the biggest dog story of the week by far. No need to rehash what we all know. Still, the story can’t be ignored. So consider this. Did she break the law?

Two golden retriever therapy dogs, Luna and Nova, are accompanied by a law enforcement officer at Life Church in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin authorities on Thursday promised a thorough investigation of the fatal police shooting of a student who they say was armed outside a middle school. “When faced with a deadly threat, they responded with deadly force,” Mount Horeb Police Chief Doug Vierck wrote in a Facebook post asking for patience with the ongoing investigation. “No officers, students, or staff were injured other than the armed individual.”

OPINION: Recently the accommodation of a service animal has become corrupted.

Why your vet bill is so high.

Spayed and Neutered Dogs Show More Signs of Aging.

New Study Dispels Myth That Purebred Dogs Are More Prone To Health Problems.

Does your dog really know what ‘fetch the ball’ means?

Wearable device could aid dogs in helping to predict earthquakes.

Pacifica dog surfing competition saved after high costs almost drive it out of business.

Dog Abandoned for Being Too Big Doesn’t Understand Why ‘Nobody Wants Him.’

Big Love for a Small Dog

By Mike Kerrigan
Wall Street Journal
April 19, 2024

 
Rudy. PHOTO: FINN KERRIGAN

Rudy, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is 13, or 95 dog years. I fear the Old Man, as he’s also affectionately known, won’t make it to his 14th birthday this September. The day he dies will be painful, for Rudy and I have a special bond.

When my family visited a Greenville, S.C., breeder in 2010, my wife and kids all had their eye on the same puppy: a lively darling with “best in show” written all over her. Believing my brood had an abundance of love to give, I had other plans.

I made the case for choosing the runt. While all his siblings snuggled close to their mother, one impossibly scrawny pup remained quietly on the periphery, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of hounds. My family reluctantly backed the choice.

The pooch that instantly captured my heart reminded me of another undersized overachiever, the cinematic hero who on determination alone willed his way onto Notre Dame’s football team: Rudy. And so we named him that.

The past two years have been tough on Rudy. He is arthritic as well as completely deaf and blind, and he has to be watched whenever he goes outdoors. But true to his namesake, his heart is strong, with no sign of the mitral valve disease that often burdens his breed as it ages.

He barks after dusk, when he tends to become more disoriented, so our veterinarian suggested someone cuddle him every night before bedtime. The idea was that a familiar scent and touch would help reorient him. Happily, this ritual fell to me.

After dinner my ailing dog and I sit together. I play songs that remind me of him, hoping they won’t be impossible to enjoy when he’s gone. Sometimes it’s Neil Young’s “Old Man”; less often it’s the poignant “Feed Jake” by Pirates of the Mississippi. I hold Rudy close before taking him to bed.

Strangely, this routine has calmed me at least as much as it has Rudy, for our time together reminds me of something important: Whether life is long or short, all anyone possesses is the present, and all that matters is what is done in it. In that precious moment, the Old Man simply basks in love.

What a wonderful way to go through life—choosing to give and receive love, both acts of the will, in every moment. For me, what a triumphal reminder that the source and summit of the created universe is the perpetual presence not simply of something loving, but of Love itself.

Rudy needed me more when he was young, but as we both grow old, we need each other equally.

—Mike Kerrigan is an attorney in Charlotte, N.C.

Mike Kerrigan’s op-ed “Big Love for a Small Dog” (April 20) struck a chord. Shiloh, our 15-year-old cocker spaniel, is like Mr. Kerrigan’s Rudy, completely deaf and blind. We communicate with our small dog by scratching her ears and rubbing her tummy. While it is uncertain which of us will first reach the Rainbow Bridge, my wife and I are certain of one thing: We will be greeted at that destination by a rejuvenated and loving puppy by the name of Shiloh.

—SCOTT HOYNE Long Grove, Il

AND FINALLY, VIDEO: Dog has an adorable wiggle in his step when he goes for walks.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.

We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!

See ya, BARK, next Saturday!