Happy Birthday Bailey

Today is my best friend's 16th birthday.  For many years my mother and I lived together and when she became ill I made sure that she was taken care of and could stay with me.  When she died in January the house was pretty lonely.  I was really depressed not only from mother passing but from just being lonely.  I had had many dogs in my life and I thought that I would look for and get a dog.  I had always wanted a Yorkshire Terrier.  I had friends who had one and had fallen for the breed.  So I began to watch for advertisements.  Someone in Story City had one and they told me I could have it. It was a year or so old and they had just had a baby and decided to get rid of the dog.  I said I would take it but by the time I was able to get up there they had sold it to someone else.

I somehow found the Millers in Boone Iowa and I went over to see them.  They had a whole bunch of puppies running all over the house.  I found one that I liked and passed their examination and the dog came home with me,  (I don't have any digital photos of him.)

What to name him?  I held him up and talked to him and decided that I would name him Bailey.  Better yet I named him Bailey's Irish Gizmo because he looked a little like Gizmo the Gremlin in the movie.  I am part Irish and the initials spell
B I G.  It all appealed to my warped sensibilities.

After I had decided on the name I realized that Bailey was the last name of my friend who had had the other Yorkshire Terrier that I had fallen in love with.

Tragically he was killed in a train accident in Iowa City in the late 60's on New Year's Eve.  I still miss him and the good times we had then.  The connection with his name and my dogs name had not occurred to me.

Bailey loves stuffed toys.  He hasn't been able to have them since Miles had moved in because they all got chewed up

Poignent 

Bailey has been a great friend over the past 15 years.  He spent a lot of time sleeping on my recliner with me leaning up against my leg.  He also slept with me.  He also loved to play.  He would catch his stuffed toys and bring it to me.  He would push the large soccer ball all over the place (always with something in his mouth) - I would roll it down the hallway and Bailey would run after it.  Get behind it and push it to me. Once he had a can in his mouth and another time a stuffed banana.  He would chase after it for hours.

Miles came to live with us and they both learned how to beg in tandem.

 When Miles moved in with us he changed things for Bailey.  He was bigger than anything Bailey had been around and he did not want any toy to remain whole so all of Bailey's toys had to be put up.  Bailey had been in charge of killing those toys regularly.  Yorkies are not just lap dogs.  They were developed in Yorkshire and their job was to go into the mines and catch and kill rats.  Bailey used to demonstrate his proficiency in this endeavour regularly.

One time he escaped from the back yard and a friend found him over by Meeker school. (That is about 10 - 12 blocks away) I have no idea how he got out unless he did it when someone opened the door to come in.

Jon got him this sweater for winter wearing. It helps with the shivering.  He has no extra body fat.

He likes to sleep in a cave under the antique marble top table.

He has problems seeing and many times he falls off the side of this ramp.  He just picks himself up and climbs up and then barks to get in.  He also will get lost in the back yard and go around in circles until he finds his way back. He seems to have things memorized here inside and while he will bump into things he actually does not seem as if he is in any pain and eats well and has a regular bowel movement.. usually he forgets to ask to go out but I cut him a lot of slack considering his age.

 Below is one of my favorite pictures of him.  He is my best friend and I love him. He has been with me for 16 years and I know he is approaching the end times.  Hopefully I will wake to find him gone to sleep sometime with no suffering. In the meantime I shall enjoy him as long as he wants to be here. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.  Hugs, j