These days it’s hard to get by without having an Instagram account. But, if you’re like me you follow more animals than human beings. Let me tell you, this is the way to go.
One particularly outstanding account details the adventures of a Golden Retriever in Amsterdam named Barley. Barley lives with his two humans Zita Butler and Marc Wisselo, and his best friend Fluffy. Fluffy is a stuffed Golden Retriever the couple found at IKEA, they explained to Instant Dogs.
“A week before Barley came home, we were in IKEA and noticed all the stuffed golden retrievers on the shelves. We thought it would be fun for Barley to have a little friend … He’s totally besotted with his mini-me.”
When Zita and Marc first bought the plush dog for their puppy, Fluffy was bigger than Barley. Barley is now almost 2-years-old and has far outgrown his little stuffed pal in size.
Barley and Fluffy are completely inseparable. They sleep together, they walk around the house together, they even hit the streets together.
Zita told PopSugar how adorable it is to witness their friendship.
“Every single time the human comes home, Barley picks up Fluffy and brings him over as a welcome-home present. Whenever he hears a loud noise or if the vacuum cleaner appears, he picks up Fluffy for comfort.”
Recently Barley had a pretty big bummer of a milestone: he got neutered. That left him with a cone of shame around his neck so he wouldn’t bite at the stitches.
Zita and Marc felt for their little guy, so they came up with a cute way to help him get through it. They found a little lampshade to put on Fluffy: his own tiny cone of shame.
“He looked so sad and we felt so bad for him that we got a cone of shame for Fluffy, too. It definitely improved his mood.”
Living with a large cone around your neck isn’t easy, but it’s a lot easier when your best pal is going through the same ordeal.
It’s clear from that big smile on Barley’s face that he loves his stuffed pal so much.
“We even need to bring Fluffy with us when we visit our friends’ houses, in the car, on holidays.”
So far, Barley has gone to the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany with Fluffy. His latest adventure? Being the cutest little ring bearer in the world at his people’s wedding!
Now they’re officially a family of four (including Fluffy of course!)
Apparently the couple has two extra Fluffies ready to go at home in case the original goes missing. Let’s not let Barley in on that secret though.
If you haven’t already gone and done it midway through reading this, go ahead and follow @barleyboy on Instagram!
H/T: Instant Dogs, PopSugar
All images and video: @barleyboy/Instagram
Toledo, United States.
