Man oh man…….I had The Best EVER Backyard Chicken Dog. How can I safely say that he was the best? Simply because he did his job with excellence. Never once did he take a run at the hens. Never once did he shirk his responsibility as protector of the backyard. Never once did a raccoon, fox, hawk or anything enter the backyard when Stanley was out on patrol. Never once!

Many a night, he exhausted himself running along the backyard perimeter making sure that those raccoons stayed high up in the trees on the other side of the fence. Many a day, he sun bathed on the grass or patrolled along worn down snowy paths; always surveying the landscape with eyes and ears on full alert. Through it all, he was my champ.

In the beginning, it was a challenge to train this retriever to accept these new “additions” to our “urban farm”, but after one weekend of intensive backyard schooling, this “bird dog” recognized his role as protector and did it with excellence. Through it all, he always did his job. But, best of all, he gave us more laughs than I could have ever imagined. I never dreamt that a dog could be so funny! Whether it was his howling accompaniment when Endearing Daughter played the harmonica, or his desperate cries for rescue from the cottage swim raft when Dutiful Son had to “paddle” him back in the canoe, Stanley kept us all in “stitches”.

This past week, we said so long to our champion protector. Stanley was the best! Man’s best friend? That title is just not fitting enough. He was more than our “best friend”. He was, and will always remain an integral member of our wonderful family. I hope that you, the reader, are just as fortunate as we have been to have an incredible dog like Stanley. He was the best!

So………so long my good friend. Long may you run. Welcome to your new role as the backyard chicken protector in the sky! You, my champ, are terribly missed. Thank you for doing your job so well, but more importantly, thanks for making us laugh!

If you need to brighten your day or just get a “chuckle”, I encourage you to CLICK HERE and read some of our great “laughs” with Stanley.