The Peipert Family: Bartley

For many years my sister and I asked our parents if we could get a dog as a pet. We knew cats were out of the question as they were not my dad's favorite animal. We had fish for a long, long time. We had a pet guinea pig that had about six names. Mom always said she didn't like the dog hair and wouldn't clean it up so we thought getting a dog was out of the question.

When I was fifteen years old, my dad brought home a puppy. He surprised us all with the super cute, clumsy, yellow labrador retriever that we decided to name Bartley. He ended up being HUGE and as it would turn out, his heart was bigger than his body.

Bartley Baker

2002-2015

Bartley not once bit someone out of anger or fear - only playful accidents. He would give out big sloppy kisses to whomever came around. He would lay on the floor with you and rest his paws on your arm or leg. He would literally smile even when he was most tired because he was happy to be with his "people." He loved to play catch or fetch and to swim in the pool as long as you would let him. He was full of energy and was literally the sweetest puppy dog in the whole world.

He did have his moments. He ate half of a sheet once while my dad was out of town - probably an act of rebellion. My mom would cover the couches with sheets to keep the dog hair off of them. I don't think she did that much after he had to have surgery to remove it from his stomach! There was another time he ran after a golf ball that someone was playing fetch with and when he came back, it was gone... another surgery.

He also had surgery on his knee and his hip as he got older. He never wanted to stop playing with a ball or rope or whatever you might throw his direction. He was so big though that his body couldn't keep up with his spirit. Eventually, he got to the point where he was not able to get up very easily and most of what happened after that I'd like to not remember him by.

Saying goodbye to Bartley was one of the hardest things I've had to do in my adult life. He was our family friend, a faithful companion and a source of joy for us all. I'm sure Bartley is feeling much more his youthful self right now, eating all the rawhides he can manage while chasing after tennis balls and jumping into warm pools of water. That's what I would think Heaven would look like for him and all dogs really do go to Heaven, right??