For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 20, 2021

well, that was… um… helpful

No softer spot than that spot in your wallet that doesn’t have any money in it.

Haha. Elly so did not expect that. Elly is sprouting unrealistic ideals while Phil is thinking of realistic results. Wonder if the owner will be offended or offer him to take the dog for free.

Changing owner will not stop the barking, unless that’s what the dog wants.

“I want your daughter!”

Cut to the chase!

Does Mr. Bullard have a gun? (These days, I’m just asking!)

He is buying the dog….and giving to Elly.

Phil, is this the first time you’ve talked to Mr. Bullard? How do you know how he’d react to your simple request?

“You see, Hoss, when you buy a dog, you acquire the howl too.”

- Adam Cartwright (“Bonanza,” episode title: “Hound Dog,” 1965).

“Bullard”…. What a name…

YES!

Phil heard me! I suggested this yesterday. I’m so smart I scare myself. (No comments, please)

Sooo, money solves most problems. eh?

I think it is remarkable how much ’Phil’s’ wife looks like his sister !

after reading the past few days of this story arc, I’ve come to the conclusion that Mr. Bullard must be deaf or extremely hard of hearing. However, the phone call put a damper on that theory.

Don’t they wonder why the dog barks constantly? It’s probably stressed or neglected. Buy it and find it a home on a farm where it doesn’t have to live chained in a backyard. Everyone’s happy.

Not a bad idea, worth a try.

Parents moving out, Phil badly wants a new place… ?

Good grief Elly, but that little speech was so sweet my teeth ache!

A friend had a dog that barked too much, so Rich put a bark collar on him – the type that shocks the dog when the dog barks. The dog would make soft sounds that grew: rrooo… rrroooo… Rrooo… RROO… RROOO-Yipe! Yipe! Yipe!……rrooo… rrrooo…………

…and with that money, Mr. Bullard buys two dogs. Maybe they’ll keep each other company and stay out of trouble.

Maybe that tiger loose in Houston

You’re barking up the wrong tree, Phil.

One of the best rescue dogs I ever had came from a crack house that had been raided. Poor dog – an Australian shepherd/collie mix had been abused and left tied up outside day and night. One of the sheriff’s deputies had called me to ask if I wanted to take her, rather than have to take her to the pound.

She was a barker according to one of the crack-heads’ neighbors. Funny thing, once she got to my place, she stopped barking. It was as if she knew she was safe.

It did take me about a year of working with her to get her over her skittishness and build her confidence back but she really was a sweet dog. Her favorite game was to herd our cats from the back yard back into the house.

But what would he do with the dog?

What you planned on doing with Mr. Bullard’s dog? Give him a sleeping pill or something? I sure Mr. Bullard probably has health issues and need to go to a nursing home. And that dog too needs to be checked by a veternary. Phil, you and Geo should go over your neighbor Mr. Bullards house to see if he’s fine. The dog sounds sick.

https://www.creators.com/read/dear-annie/05/21/drinking-more-during-pandemic

https://archive.cartoons.ac.uk/GetMultimedia.ashx?db=Catalog&fname=AC1899.jpg

Buy yourself a husky or two and learn the song of their people.

Kind of surprised that there have been no comments on how the dog will end up on the menu in some Chinese restaurant.