Farm to Pet's newest employee and Business Development Manager, Mary, compiled her story of owning a farm dog. Bentley isn't any old farm dog...he has no animals to care for and mostly gets to ride around in the farm truck. What a great life! Enjoy the story of Bentley the farm dog!
We were never a family that always had a pet. We lived in town and our three daughters played sports year-round, so we were barely home and didn't think it was fair to the animals. Our youngest daughter, Alyssa, had finished college and moved back to the farm with us. She thought we needed a dog for the farm and had her eyes set on a Goldendoodle.
We started looking around and mentioning to friends and family about our new farm dog adventure. We found an acquaintance that had a three-year-old Goldendoodle, who was looking to give theirs away to a good home. The best news...we did not have to train him! We were convinced that this dog, Bentley, would make the perfect fit when my husband commented that he always wanted to own a Bentley (too bad it was a dog and not the car he was hoping for).
When we first saw him, I remember I just kept saying "He is so BIG!" We visited for a time and got to know him, and they explained how he was trained. The couple was retired and ready to enjoy traveling without hassle of boarding. Alyssa and I left there that night needing to discuss it with her father. We both fell in love with him immediately. When we got home, Randy, my husband ask why we did not just bring him home with us. I just kept saying "He is so BIG!" After a short discussion, we decided to adopt Bentley and have our first farm dog. Two days later, all three of us jumped into Randy’s Ford pickup truck and headed out to get our newest family member a very large Goldendoodle.
To get him acquainted with the farm life, we had to introduce him to farm living. His previous owners lived in a sub-division, so they had to go everywhere with him on a leash. We live on a gravel road, so we worried about him being on the road. So, for a very long time we walked with him everywhere he went on the farm. We trained him to walk down the waterway to do his daily business. It took us a while to feel comfortable not using a leash on him. He now roams all over the farm without one and has the pure freedom of a farm pup.
Every day he wakes at around 4:45 am to take his morning stroll around outside with Randy. This is usually our favorite part of the day on the family farm. The sunrise is so beautiful with all of the fields surrounding our home. Bentley LOVES his dog treats (Farm to Pet Chicken and Turkey Chips) and will usually sit, stay, come, and drop a ball for his most prized treats.
On days that Randy is working on the farm, Bentley will follow him around or go lay in the shed while Randy works on a John Deere tractor or other pieces of equipment. If you ask him if he wants to go for a ride, he gets so excited and cannot wait to jump in the truck. His head hangs out the window and loves the wind blowing in his face.
Randy has a pitching lesson business, so we have softball players coming every evening. Bentley truly enjoys visiting with all of them and sneaking in a few extra belly rubs. However, he is not always a perfect pup and sometimes gets kicked out of the shed because he loves chewing on softballs. One fun fact about Bentley is that he hardly ever barks and never licks anyone. He previous owners trained him so well.
I retired this year in July, so 10-year-old Bentley spends a lot of his days with just me now laying on his blanket and enjoying Chicken and Turkey Chips. We go out and try to walk around to get some exercise in for the day. He does not last to many laps around the farm. Some days he heads into the cornfield to check out how the corn is growing. He enjoys laying under the tree when I am gardening. He also gets into trouble sometimes eating cucumbers or onions that he sneaks in and picks. Bentley's days are spent relaxing and enjoying farm living it is just so peaceful here in the Midwest. He has been a blessing to our family from day one.
We were never a family that always had a pet. We lived in town and our three daughters played sports year-round, so we were barely home and didn't think it was fair to the animals. Our youngest daughter, Alyssa, had finished college and moved back to the farm with us. She thought we needed a dog for the farm and had her eyes set on a Goldendoodle.
We started looking around and mentioning to friends and family about our new farm dog adventure. We found an acquaintance that had a three-year-old Goldendoodle, who was looking to give theirs away to a good home. The best news...we did not have to train him! We were convinced that this dog, Bentley, would make the perfect fit when my husband commented that he always wanted to own a Bentley (too bad it was a dog and not the car he was hoping for).
When we first saw him, I remember I just kept saying "He is so BIG!" We visited for a time and got to know him, and they explained how he was trained. The couple was retired and ready to enjoy traveling without hassle of boarding. Alyssa and I left there that night needing to discuss it with her father. We both fell in love with him immediately. When we got home, Randy, my husband ask why we did not just bring him home with us. I just kept saying "He is so BIG!" After a short discussion, we decided to adopt Bentley and have our first farm dog. Two days later, all three of us jumped into Randy’s Ford pickup truck and headed out to get our newest family member a very large Goldendoodle.
To get him acquainted with the farm life, we had to introduce him to farm living. His previous owners lived in a sub-division, so they had to go everywhere with him on a leash. We live on a gravel road, so we worried about him being on the road. So, for a very long time we walked with him everywhere he went on the farm. We trained him to walk down the waterway to do his daily business. It took us a while to feel comfortable not using a leash on him. He now roams all over the farm without one and has the pure freedom of a farm pup.
Every day he wakes at around 4:45 am to take his morning stroll around outside with Randy. This is usually our favorite part of the day on the family farm. The sunrise is so beautiful with all of the fields surrounding our home. Bentley LOVES his dog treats (Farm to Pet Chicken and Turkey Chips) and will usually sit, stay, come, and drop a ball for his most prized treats.
On days that Randy is working on the farm, Bentley will follow him around or go lay in the shed while Randy works on a John Deere tractor or other pieces of equipment. If you ask him if he wants to go for a ride, he gets so excited and cannot wait to jump in the truck. His head hangs out the window and loves the wind blowing in his face.
Randy has a pitching lesson business, so we have softball players coming every evening. Bentley truly enjoys visiting with all of them and sneaking in a few extra belly rubs. However, he is not always a perfect pup and sometimes gets kicked out of the shed because he loves chewing on softballs. One fun fact about Bentley is that he hardly ever barks and never licks anyone. He previous owners trained him so well.
I retired this year in July, so 10-year-old Bentley spends a lot of his days with just me now laying on his blanket and enjoying Chicken and Turkey Chips. We go out and try to walk around to get some exercise in for the day. He does not last to many laps around the farm. Some days he heads into the cornfield to check out how the corn is growing. He enjoys laying under the tree when I am gardening. He also gets into trouble sometimes eating cucumbers or onions that he sneaks in and picks. Bentley's days are spent relaxing and enjoying farm living it is just so peaceful here in the Midwest. He has been a blessing to our family from day one.
Treat you Farm FURiends next week!