Brian Kilcommons - Tails from the Barkside

WARNER BOOKS EDITION

Copyright 1997 by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc.

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

First eBook Edition: November 2009

ISBN: 978-0-446-57123-4

Renowned authors/trainers Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson enlighten readers about their own experiences in dog training, dog care, about dogs themselves, and share true anecdotes that warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.

DogWorld

Brian Kilcommons, a world-class trainer who has worked for the ASPCA and the Public Broadcasting Systems series on veterinary medicine, knows his stuff.

Chicago SurtTimes

A loving and informative how-to for dog owners as well as those who simply enjoy giving Fido a pat on the head once in a while.

Publishers Weekly

Heartwarming and humorous.

New York Daily News

Poignant true stories that show how dogs can be patient teachers, faithful companions, and nonjudgmental friends.

Newark Sunday Star-Ledger (NJ)

Some of the stories made me laugh. Some made me cry. For dog lovers everywhere a heartwarming reminder that not a day goes by that were not touched by some wonderful puppy memory.

Vicki Lawrence, actress

Animal lovers everywhere will enjoy this collection of tales of dogs. A super gift idea for a dog lover.

Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

Good Owners, Great Dogs

by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

Good Owners, Great Cats

by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

Childproofing Your Dog

by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

Mutts: Americas Dogs

by Brian Kilcommons and Mike Capuzzo

Paws to Consider

by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

Metrodog: A Guide to Raising Your Dog in the City

by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson

To our friends and families

Your support, humor, insight, and love

continue to make these books possible.

W e would like to thank all our clients, both four-footed and two-footed, for making this book possible. All the events in this book are 100 percent true. Names have been changed and details tweaked for privacy reasons. This being the case, please observe the following: If a story is flattering and sounds the tiniest bit like you, we promise its you! If the story is not flattering and sounds a ton like you, we promise its someone else.

W e cannot imagine a day without the muzzle of a cherished canine resting on a knee, the thump of a happy tail when we first open our eyes in the morning, or the sigh of a blissful dog curling up next to us on the couch. (Yes, our dogs are invited up on the furniture more than you might think.)

Dogs are and have always been our playmates, friends, teachers, guardians, and comforters. They are our windows into ourselves, the world around us, and even, for passing glimpses, the unique world they inhabit.

We hope the stories we tell here give you a window into our world. Our lives have been full and, at times, complicated. To make the narrative (and cast of characters, both human and canine) easier to follow, we offer a brief outline of our individual histories.

Brian grew up on Long Island, New York. He had Irish, a terrier mix, then T., a Vizsla. In his high school years, he worked with dog-show handlers and for a veterinarian. Prevet was next at Iowa State (with T.). Brian worked construction on the side to earn money, then contracted mono- nucleosis and ran out of cash. He came home and tied steel on the Shoreham Nuclear Plant on Long Island. T. died of cancer. Brian decided that he did not want to spend his life tying steel. After apprenticing with several trainers, he started his own training business, Kilcommons Professional Dog Training, Ltd. Next came Beau, Brians Rottweiler. Brian met Barbara Woodhouse and became a much better trainer. He met his first wife while training her dog. They got married. Brian became a reporter on animal issues for WABC, then for the CBS morning news. His marriage split up. Next came the ASPCA, where he was the director of training and behavior. Beau also died of cancer.

Sarah grew up around Boston, Massachusetts. Her parade of childhood pets included gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, frogs, toads, snakes, cats, and finches. She rode horses, then helped train them. She became smitten with Firefly, a lively Morgan/Arabian cross. After her folks divorced, Sarah and her mother moved to St. Louis. (Firefly had to be sold prior to the move.) After many years of begging, her mother finally said yes to a dog, so a little mixed breed named Butterfly joined the ranks. Itching to work with more animals, Sarah started training a few dogs of friends and neighbors, which was interrupted by her attending Amherst College. After graduation, Sarah sold shoes, then worked with troubled teens. She met her first husband, Peter. While living with Peter, she acquired Sasha, a field-bred English Springer Spaniel. Sarah and Peter married, then moved to Manhattan. Kesl, a Bouvier des Flandres, came into her life at that point. Sarah worked at an art gallery full-time while she developed her training business at nights and on the weekends. They moved to Brooklyn, New York. During this time, Sarah started Paws to Consider Dog Training. After almost dying from a ruptured appendix, she evaluated her life, quit her secure job, divorced her husband, and started training full-time

Sarah and Brian met and became fast friends. After meeting Brian, Sarah became a much better trainer. They lived together in Brooklyn, then Long Island, New York. Combining their two separate businesses, they formed The Family Dog, Inc. Piper, a Scottish Deerhound, joined the family. They moved to Manhattan to open The Family Dog Training Center. Caras, an Australian Shepherd, was the next addition. Brian and Sarah left the city, moving to Middletown, New York. They got Julia, a German Shepherd; Cedie, another Aussie; Emily, a sweet, abandoned female cat; and Ben, a burly, abused kitten. Brian and Sarah collaborated on Good Owners, Great Dogs; Childproofing Your Dog; and Good Owners, Great Cats. Brian started teaching electives on training and behavior at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. They moved to Canterbury Farm, where they both hope to stay for many years. Their next project was Mutts: Americas Dogs, written with Mike Capuzzo. Brian and Sarah watch over two horses, a flock of chickens, and a growing number of sheep. Urs, another German Shepherd, and Lucy, a wild orange kitten, recently joined the menagerie. After nearly a decade together, Brian and Sarah married. They are now in the process of living happily ever after.

In some ways, having a canine companion is the simplest thing in the world. All they need is love, exercise, training, care, and shelter. In other ways, it requires a leap of faith by both parties to make it work. Dogs must believe that we can make some sense of a confusing world; that we have the answers to their questions, if they listen.

For our part, we must build the bridge between the dog and ourselvesusing trust, kindness, consistency, and patience to do so. We are their guides, a job that requires careful attention to our own urges to control, give up, wield power, or be passive.