You could see Barney wanted no part of it. If you know dogs, everything in his body language said: Back off, Jack. A little personal space here, OK?
But the reporter kept it up. And, finally, Barney had enough and bit the guy.
I don't blame him. I would have bit the guy, too. Then the reporter is interviewed on TV and holds up his bandaged finger and goes on and on about it, like he was in a firefight with al-Qaida.
OK, that's enough about Barney. Just don't rule out Scotties because one of them wigged out on a stupid reporter.
I know there are allergy issues with your daughter Malia, and you said you'd like to get a hypoallergenic dog.
But there's no such thing, say most dog experts, because the major allergen in dogs is a protein that all dogs have.
So I would concentrate on getting a dog that has a good temperament. There will be plenty of stress in your lives, so you don't need some crazy Cujo rampaging around and scaring people. You need a dog that's playful and mellow at the same time. I happen to favor golden retrievers in the big-dog category and Shih Tzus among small dogs, but that's a personal thing.
My family had a Shih Tzu for 16 years until he croaked last spring, and he was the greatest dog ever.
Oh, sure, he got a little fussy toward the end, when he was holding out for top-shelf dog food, his breath went south and the vet wanted to charge me $300 to get his teeth cleaned, which was supposed to help the breath problem.
For 300 bucks, the dog should have gotten his teeth capped, too, although I didn't say that to the vet.
Another dog I would recommend is a goldendoodle, which is one of these hybrid dogs, a mix of a poodle and golden retriever.
My brother and his family have one, and she's very playful and affectionate, except she also has a tendency to bolt every five minutes.
Finally, my brother put up one of those electric dog fences that zaps the crazy mutt every time she strays off the property, and that took care of that.
Who's going to run across the street to overturn a few trash cans if you know you're going to get fried?
Good luck with your search. I'm sure we'll all be hearing soon about what kind of dog you've chosen.
Probably on another episode of 60 Minutes. It might even bring back Mike Wallace.
