Owner: Bruce Borek
Location: Fishkill, N.Y.
Dog Name: Barnaby
Age: 14
Breed: Eskipoo (part American Eskimo Dog and part Poodle)
In a Word: Priceless
Job Title: Mail carrier: Each day when I say it’s time to get the mail outside, Barnaby goes right to the mailbox.
Star Quality: He can walk backwards up stairs without skipping a beat! Also he uses his toys as pillows.
Best Bud: It would have to be me, his dad! We became hooked at the hip mainly because of all the training I gave him early on and the thousands of walks we have gone on over the years.
Favorite Reward: Cheese, pizza and of course steak. He gets steak at a minimum on his birthday every year.
Obsession: 99 percent of the time Barnaby listens to commands, but if he sees a squirrel or a cat he becomes deaf and runs after them.
Favorite Getaway: Barnaby loves soaking up the sun on the back deck during the spring and summer.
Forgivable Flaw: Barnaby knows he is in trouble when we command that he goes in his bed for a time out when he does something wrong. Once in the bed, he then quietly growls under his breath as he is sitting there. It is hard not to laugh.
Backstory: My youngest daughter was going away to college and we were going to be empty-nesters. Yahoo! My wife and daughter went to lunch and said you have to come see this dog in the pet store. I didn’t want the dog because I knew it would be me that did all the work. Begrudgingly, I said yes. One of the best decisions I ever made in my life!
