Bentley...always the clown, always in my heart

Our female Golden Retriever, Butterscotch, had just celebrated her first birthday when I received a telephone call from my friend, Barbara, inviting me to her home to see a litter of puppies. My son, Joe, who was going on fourteen at the time eagerly, joined me and off we went not knowing our dog family would soon grow to two. When we arrived at Barbara's home, we were quickly escorted into her temporary puppy room. The litter was beautiful, and they were scheduled to leave for their new homes at the end of the week.
As we turned to leave the room Barbara's husband Chuck was standing in the doorway with the most beautiful puppy snuggled against his chest. I immediately asked, "Who is that?" and Chuck responded, "This is Bentley." Chuck gently placed Bentley on the floor he raced over to me and of course, it was love. I scooped him up and it seemed like I received a million puppy kisses.

Barbara informed me he was the only puppy without a home. Now I knew why we had been invited over, very clever. The word sucker must have been imprinted on my far head. They then proceeded to show me Bentley's birth defect. His tail had a broken vertebrae and went straight down. Barbara told me her veterinarian had suggested removing the tail at birth, but she had decided against it. I heard myself telling Barbara that I was interested in Bentley and heard Joe say, "What are you crazy? Two dogs!! Dad will never go for it." I knew that once Frank saw Bentley it would be a no brainer that Bentley would go home with us, and that is exactly how it turned out when we came back the following Saturday.

Bentley's tail eventually went up and it appeared perfectly normal. The only time you knew there had been anything wrong is when you ran your hand down his tail and felt a small kink where the original break had been. As Bentley grew older, he grew better looking. His handsome appearance always drew attention wherever we went, including outside the conformation ring, a place he would never be able to go. Bentley's tail was not his only blemish. His testicles never came down and had to be surgically removed thus canceling any opportunity of ever being shown in conformation.

Bentley's first Christmas in 1986 will always be remembered. It was the year the tree came tumbling down. After he had watched me decorating for hours, he disappeared into the living room and started pulling on one of the branches. Within seconds, the tree was on top of him. When Frank and I returned to the room, he had several Christmas balls and ornaments draped across his head and looked as if he was having the time of
his life.

Right after Bentley celebrated his first birthday he started having seizures. Our veterinarian diagnosed his condition as epilepsy, so he received a daily dose of Phenobarbital the rest of his life. Although the drug gave him relief from the disease, in the end, I believe the drug's effect on his liver is what shortened his life. Bentley definitely did not run with a complete package of brain cells. Perhaps taking all that Phenobarbital had taken its' toll on him mentally.

All his life he was always the household clown. Once when Frank's parents came for a visit he drove my mother-in-law crazy moving her shoes to different parts of our house, taking her pocketbook, then finally the ultimate antic. He climbed up on our kitchen table and positioned himself right in the middle of our Sunday breakfast. I guess I was partially to blame because of how I trained Bentley to stand on the grooming table. He just never got it that not all tables are the same. Till this day I can remember my mother-in-law saying over and over again, "Bentley down." In fact, for the rest of his life, that is what she called him, always with the deepest affection.

When Bentley left us, he was nine years old. Certainly not enough time, it never is. As he drew his last breath, I could only smile because right up to the last moment he was a very happy, carefree spirit. Butterscotch outlived Bentley by several years and after his departure, I do not think she ever missed him. I believe they are together in Golden Heaven and she probably still only tolerates his clownish ways.

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Here are some pictures of Bentley.