βI enrolled Barney in obedience school. If I had known how being βbadβ would be part of his charm and would add to his success on camera, I might have given this more thought. I was impressed with the legendary schoolβs sales pitch, including their money-back guarantee. But when I said my dog was a beagle, there was dead silence on her end of the phone . . . then a good-natured laugh. βI was just kidding about the guarantee.ββ
Television reporter Dick Wolfsie was walking out his front door on the way to the studio one wintry morning when he found a shivering beagle pup on his front steps. Dick placed the stray inside the house and was off to work. When he returned four hours later, his wife and young son were cleaning up what remained of the shredded couch, the living room curtains, and his wifeβs favorite high heels.
The family would soon demand that Dick either take the dog to work with him each day or find the troublemaker a minimum security facility. So, off to the station they went. And ultimately Barney nosed his way in front of the camera with Dick. Soon the dynamic duo would make TV history.
For ten yearsβmore than 2,500 morning news showsβfans watched the renegade pooch chew, howl, and dig his way through every one of Dickβs reports. But he also burrowed his way into everybodyβs heart, becoming a beloved media star.
Mornings with Barney is a hoot from start to finish, but more than this, it is the moving story of a mischievous pooch who touched and brightened the lives of an entire community.<p />