www.TheNewBarker.com
24 THE NEW BARKER 
Recently, I learned that the meaning of the Hebrew 
word kelev, or “dog,” is “all heart.” If you had told me 
this six years ago, I would have mused about it for a 
minute and moved on. That was back when we didn’t 
have a dog, and I had not grown up with dogs in the 
house, so when we got our first Frenchie, Pip, I still 
had no idea of the magnitude of that meaning, or how 
it would affect our lives so deeply. 
      Men and dogs have their own special relation-
ships—a hidden language that eye signals speak. Dogs 
know their master is the alpha male, and they are okay 
with that as long as they get their walks and treats. 
These bonds are tight, and they are timeless. I get 
teary-eyed every time I remember Old Yeller or Where 
the Red Fern Grows. I never got over the trauma of  
The Incredible Journey, and while I can watch or listen 
to true crime countless hours on end, the mere 
thought of an animal getting hurt sends me right over 
the edge. I get an overwhelming urge to serve right-
eous judgment of the most severe kind to anyone who 
hurts an animal. It’s almost as if we have the aspect of 
husbandry coded into our DNA. We were created to 
take care of animals. 
      Recently, I was recommended the independent 
film Good Boy, and I am not the sort to look up films 
to see how they end, but I went straight to Google to 
see if the dog dies because, if he did, it would be a hard 
pass for me. Major kudos to the dog Indy for winning 
the award for Best Supporting “Actor.” Even so, I still 
will not go anywhere near that movie. 
      We rescued Luna April 2025 when we decided 
that Pip needed a friend. We made a meet-up date to 
get the two acquainted with each other, but little did 
we know that Luna would be coming home with us, 
that day. The handler got out of the van and opened 
the side door. Out plopped Luna—looking apprehen-
sive about where she was. My heart dropped. I felt 
everything she was feeling in one breath—where am 
I? Where am I going? Will these people love me or 
treat me well? She had no choice on her end, as we 
were set on us taking her right then. 
      To this day, I don’t remember what I said to Luna. 
I know her face softened, and she waddled up to me 
and never left my side. She sat next to me on the ride 
home, looking up into my eyes, and I kept reassuring 
her that she was safe and that she was a good girl. 
I Love You to the 
Moon and Back
by Rebecca MacPherson
Luna Blue

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