As most animal lovers will tell you, a house isn’t a home until there is a dog in the mix.  After a few years of marriage, I started dropping not so subtle hints to my husband, Van, about getting a dog.  We both had agreed that when it was time to get a four legged friend, it would have to come from a rescue shelter.  I would bookmark www.petfinder.com on his work computer and talk non-stop about how we’d both be better off with a dog - the companionship at the farm for him, a guard dog for the house, the long walks would help us stay fit.  Then one day, I printed off the information of a happy looking pug and Jack Russell mix named Chance.  I left it on the desk at the vineyard, and after a few days, put it in the driver’s seat of Van’s car to be sure he didn’t overlook it.  Van saw how interested I was, and decided to meet me at the Marion Area Humane Society after work.  I arrived first, and told the workers I was interested in Chance.  They showed me to a visiting room, and soon brought Chance in to meet me.  I sat on the floor and he hopped in my lap.  Van came in seconds later, and all I could say to him was “I love him.”  Needless to say, we adopted him. 

Chance was a wonderful dog and an asset both to our home and the vineyard.  He was gentle, playful and literally smiled.  His smile melted the hearts of even the most hard-shelled people.  He was always the life of the party.  Once, Van was sitting at the table in the vineyard house with a local priest.  Chance, feeling neglected, jumped from the floor onto the table top and smiled. 

Sadly, Chance passed away suddenly from an aneurism after a year and a half of adding pure joy to our lives.  We missed him terribly, and were amazed to see how much our family, friends and customers missed him, too.  Our home just wasn’t the same.

Six months later, Van decided that it was time to start looking for a new dog.  He went to the humane society while I was shopping in Columbus, and called to tell me about the three dogs he saw.   I could tell he really liked Harley, the Boston terrier and beagle mix. He told me all about them and suggested I go see them.  We were only looking, after all.  We weren’t actually going to get one just yet. 

After I got back to town, I went to “look” at the dogs.  I walked in and told the gentleman who was working that my husband had been in earlier, and he stopped me in my tracks and said he knew exactly the dog to bring to meet.  He disappeared into the kennel while I waited in the hallway, and was soon back with a spunky black and white dog, Harley.  I knelt down on my right knee to pet him, and he wrapped his front paws around my left leg and put his head on my knee and stared up at me with loving, longing eyes.  Dang.  I was in love.  They offered to let us take him home that day, but we weren’t quite ready as we were only “looking” for a dog, not adopting.  It was a Saturday, and they were going to be closed the next day. One of the women said she would be there the next day to clean and feed the animals, and volunteered to let us pick him up then.  The next day we welcomed Harley into our home, only to rename himself Max.

At first it was hard to get attached to Max because he was just not the same as Chance.  They were both incredible dogs with fun personalities, but we couldn’t help but compare the two.  A month later things got easier when we realized that we didn’t replace Chance, we only added to our family.  Max was just what we needed, and it was okay that he wasn’t just like Chance.   We loved him just the way he was. 

Max has become a regular at the vineyard.  Unlike Chance, Max will come out to greet customers and be petted, only to return to his beloved bed in the next room.  He knows that he doesn’t have to jump on the table to be petted!

We often talk about volunteering at the humane society to repay them for the wonderful dogs they have brought into our lives.  However, with our busy schedules, Van and I don’t have much free time to donate.  A year ago it dawned on me – if we can’t find time to go to the humane society, why not bring them to us?  The event was named The Bark and Wine even before the event existed.  Only in 2009 did we have enough information to put this event together, and we are hoping this annual event brings some much needed attention and donations to the Marion Area Humane Society.  From the bottom of our hearts, we truly are blessed to have such a great facility in Marion, as well as workers who are focused on forever homes for these amazing animals.