Barney and Trixie (Formerly Starbuck and Jane)

Our relationship with APRA began a year ago today when we walked through the doors of the shelter, hoping to find a furry friend to fill the void in our house. You see, we lost all three of our cherished dogs within eight weeks of one another and the silence in the house had become unbearable. I had been checking out the website daily for several weeks and finally on April 10, 2010, we loaded up the kids and drove to the shelter. We had our eye on this gorgeous Weimaraner named Starbuck. I knew the minute I saw him that he was the one I wanted to join our family. He had these soulful eyes and the sweetest temperment. He even tolerated the up close and personal attention of two young children with gentleness and patience. Starbuck's foster, Randy, shared the inside scoop on Starbuck's favorite toys, feeding habits and severe dislike of his crate. After discussing this new arrangement with Starbuck, he agreed to give us a chance. On the ride home, we battered around sever
al names, but the moment we arrived home and allowed our new pet to race around his new backyard, the name Barney was, hands down, the winner. I will never forget that first image of Barney running around in his new home, gigantic ears flopping in the wind. Barney has been an absolute joy since that first day he joined our family. His size does not deter him from wedging himselft into the smallest space if it means a chance to snuggle in someone's lap. His fierce passion for his Nylabones is evident throughout the house as you are lucky to take a step without finding one underfoot!
As much joy as Barney brings to our family, we knew that we needed to find him a sibling. We spent several months on the APRA website looking for the perfect addition. One day I saw a photograph taken by the amazing Leesia Teh and I knew that we had to meet this sweet puppy named Jane. Jane was a bit frightened by the amount of attention coming her way, and she was content to nestle in my arms while the children and Barney gave her the once over. After initial meetings were all positive, we brought her home on January 8, 2011, hoping she would acclimate into our family routine, and on the ride home, she became Trixie. Trixie has grown so much since joining our family. She was very timid initially, but is far less skiddish now and enjoys playing with everyone in the family. While she is no snuggle bunny, Trixie does like to stay close and is never a few feet away from her brother, Barney.
It's now been three months with both of our dogs and we couldn't be happier with the results. Barney and Trixie are inseperable and enjoy playing and napping together. Despite the size difference (Barney is 55 pounds larger than Trixie), Trixie is able to keep up with Barney and even outsmarts him from time to time. Barney is extremely gentle with Trixie and it is not uncommon to see the two rolling around on the floor. We joke that Trixie spends much of her time inside Barney's mouth as she often has a damp head after their wrestling matches.
We sincerely thank everyone who works so tirelessly to give these dogs a second chance at life. For all of the foster families that open their homes and hearts to care for these animals and then willingly let them go to forever families, thank you. For the many volunteers that show up at the shelter to do all of thankless jobs that keep these pets healthy and safe, thank you. For the entire staff at APRA that have devoted their lives to caring for neglected animals, thank you. Your passion for rescue helps families become complete. I can't thank APRA enough for making it possible for Barney and Trixie to find us. They are finally forever home.

The Brumback Family