East Texas

By ADAM RUSSELL
Staff Writer

FLINT — It wouldn’t surprise Bill McFarlin if people don’t recall when or where they first met him, or his name for that matter. Being on a television show might change that, but he said people never forget his Brittany spaniel, Star.

McFarlin and Star (her full name is Flying Orange Star) recently joined 11 other teams on a new CBS reality pet program, “Greatest American Dog,” pitting dog and owner duos against each other for a $250,000 top prize. CBS spokesperson Colleen Sullivan said McFarlin and Star were selected out from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants to be on the show which airs at 7 p.m. Thursday nights.

McFarlin said he has been involved with and loved dogs since he can remember. His interest began as a child because his father raised and trained English bird hunting dogs. That interest continued and grew. McFarlin said his mother had to take the basket off of his bicycle because he would bring home strays. His experience narrowed his view on dog behavior, he said. That became especially evident when he would take his Brittany spaniel Freckles public places and the dog would sit and stay when and where McFarlin told the dog, unlike others he witnessed.

“I thought everybody’s dogs were supposed to have manners,” he said.

McFarlin’s bonds with his dogs have been more than one of owner and pet. He said Freckles was his buddy and went everywhere with him. The dog was an ever-present part of McFarlin’s life until he died. McFarlin said the loss of the dog hurt deeply. To make matters worse McFarlin had a heart attack, which debilitated one of his legs. McFarlin spiraled into what he called a funk.

That Christmas, McFarlin’s wife of 37 years, Sherrie, and his son Bryan, gave him Star in the hopes that the dog would bring him back from the loss of Freckles and his medical misfortune. It was time, he said, to get a new dog. He began walking Star. Star tagged along on business and personal trips. McFarlin took his focus off of the past and applied it to Star and it pulled him out of the funk. Then he began to notice little nuances about the dog. She learned how to roll down the windows in his truck and lock McFarlin out. He said she would sit and in her way laugh at him.

“I just saw the light in her eyes,” he said. “Star had learned how to learn.”

After that moment McFarlin worked with Star teaching her new tricks with his “kinder, gentler” training approach. He said she has learned between 35-45 tricks and her ability to pick them up is uncanny. McFarlin said he is not a great trainer. He is just a backyard trainer but it has worked with Star. He said his method creates dogs that want to do tricks instead of creating a dog that is avoiding punishment. The dog is excited to work and play with him, he said. He said he works Star and his other two dogs, Lucille, a Border collie and agility competition champion, and Maggie, a sheep herding dog, about 10 to 15 minutes at a time, usually in the morning and evening. He gives each dog separate one-on-one attention.

McFarlin said he has learned as much from the dogs as he has taught them. Each dog, like children, has its own talents, he said, and that it is the owner’s responsibility to find what that given talent is.

“Some dogs are good at sitting in your lap and loving you,” he said.

Star has also learned a trick of great value to McFarlin and his wife. Star can sense Sherrie’s blood-sugar levels and intervened during a serious bout. Now he and his wife act when Star poses at Sherrie’s feet or side.

Star has changed McFarlin’s life. She brought him back around and taught him a thing or two along the way. He is a local businessman and said that she is his public relations director and that everywhere he goes she is an instant conversation starter. The conversations always begin with a smile. He also takes the dog to events to teach children about how to care for a dog and the basics to create a commitment to their pet, he said. Star and McFarlin also visit the elderly. He said the room lights up with smiles when Star arrives. Pets give people meaning and a reason to enjoy life, he said.

“Star was the dog that has really brightened up my life,” he said. “She’s taught me to be kinder and gentler. Every morning she comes over and puts her head on my knee and now I go out and say hello to the people I meet. She’s taught me to be nicer.”

Updated Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:18 a.m. CDT

Star jumps up to get a treat from her owner, Bill McFarlin. McFarlin and Star are contestants on the CBS-TV reality program, "Greatest American Dog."
(Courtesy photo)