Finbar Lives Up To His Name

by Jace
(Chelsea, Oklahoma, USA)

Snow

Finbar, the Blue Merle Aussie, was given to me when he was about eight weeks old. I named him Finbar after St. Finbar of Ireland. He was the worst puppy that I have ever experienced in my life. He bit heels and ripped and tore up the house and did not like my fiance. I was engaged to a man who seemed very nice and kind, but Fin seemed to not trust this person. The mistrust grew into growling and extreme barking over the year. My fiance said, "I am really scared that Fin will hurt you because he is a bad dog". He stomped out of the house when I laughed at the thought of Fin hurting me. When he returned from his fit throwing stomp out he knocked me down on the concrete porch. As he was lunging toward me again I opened the front door. Fin leaped through the air like "Super Dog" and bulldogged the 6'5" 225 lb X-fiance to the ground.

I recently drove across the USA from west coast to east coast via the southern route through Arizona. My worries about Fin making the trip without problems was escalated, and nothing was normal about the weather on this trip. I was feeling weak and tired by 4:00 PM as I pulled into Pocatello, Idaho. I must have passed out because Fin got out of the car without me knowing that he was gone. Suddenly there was a man pouring liquid on my face and saying "drink this". I was gasping for breath and looking for my dog. Fin was standing by a man and a big Harley motorcycle. The man said, "You are going to be fine thanks to this fine gentleman dog here". He explained to me that Fin came over to him while he was waiting for his wife in a grocery store across the street. The man, Dan, said, I always wanted a dog like this, but he seemed to want me to follow him". He and his wife, Shelley, followed Fin back to my car and found me passed out from dehydration. I had been so worried about Fin surviving the long tip that I neglected to take a drink of water for past two days. The Harley travellers said that I should follow them to a motel nearby because extreme storms were moving through the eastern part of Idaho. These two wonderful people with Fin probably saved my life.

An elderly Indian man in Arizona called Fin "spirit dog" and told me the legend behind the name. He said, "If any person looks into the two blue eyes of the blue dog and is afraid; do not trust that person because it is an evil one with something to hide". My dog, Fin and the good people across the USA are truely God's blessing.

The morning we drove into Amarillo, Texas the sky lit up with colors just as a George Strait song called "Amarillo by Morning" came on the radio. A few miles out of Amarillo is town called Groom with a white cross illuminates the morning light for miles. There are many more blessings ahead.

Questions About Your Aussie? Australian Shepherd Lover's Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

Have Dog Training Questions?

Check out these introductory dog training videos...

I want my dog to stop being aggressive.

I want some help training my new puppy.

I want my dog to stop barking at everything.

I want my dog to walk nicely and calmly on the leash.

I want my dog to listen and come every time I call!