Barkley, an award-winning Champion Clydesdale who traveled all over the United States and Canada, was finally being retired after 10 years of competition. In “Hello, My Name Is Barkley,” his new owner, Wally Elliott, shares how Barkley comes to the Diamond E Farm, where he meets some new friends — nine Labrador retrievers, a coon dog, five barn cats, and a horse named Cinnamon.
Wally and Angie Elliott, who own the Diamond E Farm near Mullins, S.C., love to share their farm with friends and for church functions and group outings. They have created a Christian-based program that utilizes their well-trained dogs to illustrate the importance and joys of faith and obedience to God. Barkley quickly becomes a key attraction in the program, pulling his new friends in a boat with wheels to entertain the crowds.
When the Elliotts aren’t tending to the many farm chores and taking care of the animals, they manage a family business that provides firefighting equipment to fire departments in South Carolina and North Carolina. But Barkley has won a special place in their hearts — as he will yours.
“Hello, My Name Is Barkley” (4o pages, softcover, $9.95; hardcover, $17.95) is available at online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or from the author.