10/09/2026
MEET FINNEGAN O'LEARY! ❤️ 🐾
AKA Finny, the Jump Kiss Dog
Every college has its characters, and Carolina Canine College certainly has more than its fair share. But one of the most colorful members of our campus family is a beautiful red merle Australian Shepherd named Finnegan O'Leary. Finny, as she is affectionately known, is one of my three Australian Shepherds, although Richard O'Leary would probably argue that she is actually his dog.
Finnegan came into my life courtesy of my good friend Sandy in the Northeast, right around the time Richard and I started dating. Somehow, somewhere along the way, Finnegan decided that Richard belonged to her, and Richard wholeheartedly agreed. To this day, he will look at her with absolute adoration and emphatically declare, "Gosh, I LOVE that dog!" And I understand why. Mostly. 😂
Finnegan is an exceptionally loving Australian Shepherd and, believe it or not, one of the best snugglers I have ever known. She will curl up beside you, press herself against you, and make you believe that her sole purpose in life is to provide warmth, companionship, and unconditional love. Unfortunately, that particular version of Finnegan generally disappears the moment she gets up, because Finnegan has a rather demanding second career as a self-appointed member of the Fun Police.
When dogs are playing nicely on the training floor, Finnegan occasionally decides that things have gotten entirely out of hand. Apparently, those dogs are not playing; they are cattle attempting to break away from the chute, and ABSOLUTELY NOT ON FINNEGAN'S WATCH! She charges into the middle of the action, barking orders, cutting off escape routes, and attempting to restore order to a situation that was perfectly orderly until she arrived. The other dogs do not always appreciate her management style.
I cannot imagine why. 😂
Finnegan gets along with practically everybody, but her enthusiastic interpretation of appropriate herding behavior does not necessarily make her the most popular girl at every party. Fortunately, she has another specialty that she believes makes her universally irresistible.
Jump kissing.
Now, plenty of dogs jump up to greet people, but Finnegan has elevated this particular activity to an art form. She doesn't put her paws on you. She launches herself vertically, parallel to your body, and attempts to deliver a full French kiss before you have had the opportunity to introduce yourself. Your mouth is the preferred destination, although depending on your evasive maneuvers, she is perfectly happy to deposit her tongue in your nose, your eye, or occasionally your ear. Finnegan is not particularly concerned about accuracy. She is concerned about enthusiasm.
Our pest control gentleman has even given her a nickname: The Jump Kiss Dog. He walks in, sees Finnegan, and knows exactly what is coming. And honestly, I cannot think of a more accurate job description.
In fact, Finnegan's enthusiasm for greeting people has earned her a rather dubious distinction at Carolina Canine College. She is the only one of my three Australian Shepherds who is routinely excluded from our Meet & Greets! When prospective clients come to visit, I often introduce them to Smoochie the Poochie, my trusted canine ambassador, and Fable, who seems to believe that every dog she meets is a potential new best friend. Finnegan, however, remains conspicuously absent. It isn't because she doesn't get along with other dogs. It's because I would prefer that our prospective clients leave with their faces relatively dry and their dental work undisturbed. 😂
And here's another little Finnegan mystery: If you ask any employee at Carolina Canine College which of my three Australian Shepherds is their favorite, the answer is invariably Finnegan O'Leary! This is particularly amusing because those very same employees spend considerably more time yelling, “FINNEGAN O'LEARY!” in tones of utter exasperation than they ever do with Smooch or Fable. Apparently, being the most frequently reprimanded dog on campus does absolutely nothing to diminish her popularity. 😂
Finnegan would also make an absolutely terrible guard dog. An intruder could walk through the door, and she would probably be delighted to meet him. However, after receiving approximately seventeen unsolicited French kisses, he might reconsider his career choices. So perhaps she does provide a valuable security service after all.
And then there is Finnegan's extraordinary ability to manipulate her body. Australian Shepherds are wonderfully athletic dogs, but Finnegan seems to have been assembled without the usual restrictions on spinal flexibility. She can wiggle, twist, undulate, and fold herself into positions that should require an instruction manual to reverse. One minute she is a dog; the next she is an Australian Shepherd pretzel.
She is rarely quiet about any of it, either. Finnegan is a vocalist, and she and L'il Rascal are particularly fond of performing duets, enthusiastically wooing the song of their people for anyone within hearing distance. Whether anyone has requested a concert is irrelevant. The performance will proceed as scheduled. 🎶
But perhaps the most revealing thing about Finnegan happened when Fable joined our family. Until then, I had Smooch and Finnegan. Smooch was the senior stateswoman, the established authority, the original Head Bitch in Charge. Finnegan was simply Finnegan. Then along came Fable, and suddenly I looked at Finnegan and realized something that explained approximately four years of behavior.
OH, FINNEGAN. YOU'RE A MIDDLE CHILD!
Of course! The attention seeking, the theatrical entrances, the need to supervise everyone else's activities, the spontaneous musical performances, and the determination to make absolutely certain nobody forgets she exists. It all made sense. Finnegan had apparently been preparing for middle child status her entire life. She just needed Fable to arrive and make it official. 😂
And speaking of official, her government name is Finnegan O'Leary. Not Finny. Not Finn. FINNEGAN O'LEARY! It is a name that rolls beautifully off the tongue, particularly when delivered at considerable volume. Around Carolina Canine College, you may occasionally hear it announced with varying degrees of enthusiasm, urgency, or outright exasperation. The full name generally means that somebody has been doing something that somebody else wishes she would stop doing.
I will leave you to determine who is who.
As one of our Carolina Canine College house dogs, Finnegan is a permanent member of the campus family, although she has experienced one rather unfortunate incident of photographic discrimination. When the new facility was being decorated, beautiful pictures of our client dogs and house dogs were incorporated into the front windows. Smoochie the Poochie received a very prominent position, naturally, and Fable even made an appearance in the Group Class photo.
Finnegan O'Leary?
NOTHING.
Not one window. Not one little corner. Not even a supporting role.
Richard O'Leary was quite offended by this glaring omission, and I suppose I can understand his outrage. After all, how could the most beloved dog in the O'Leary household be completely overlooked?
Fortunately, a diplomatic solution was reached. A beautiful poster of Finnegan now hangs in the grooming salon, where her magnificent red merle self can be admired by everyone who visits. She may not have made the windows, but she has her own little corner of campus immortality. And Richard's sense of justice has been restored. 😂
Finnegan is bright, bubbly, affectionate beyond measure, and a royal pain in my ass. She is a talented athlete, an enthusiastic vocalist, an overzealous livestock supervisor, a professional contortionist, and quite possibly the world's most accomplished jump kisser. She is also one of the most loving dogs I have ever known, and when she curls up beside you at the end of the day, all those little frustrations seem to disappear.
Well, most of them.
Because no matter what kind of chaos Finnegan has created, Richard will look at her with that same adoring expression and say, "Gosh, I LOVE that dog!"
I suppose that's the magic of Finnegan O'Leary. She can drive you absolutely crazy one minute and make you wonder how you could possibly love anything more the next.
She is everything wonderful, ridiculous, exhausting, and endearing about Australian Shepherds, wrapped up in one beautiful red merle package. She may not be the official Meet & Greet ambassador, and she may have been overlooked by the window decorating committee, but there is absolutely no question that Finnegan O'Leary has secured her place in the heart of Carolina Canine College.
Finnegan O'Leary, you are one of a kind.
Now, for heaven's sake, STOP JUMP KISSING THE CUSTOMERS! ❤️ 🐾 😂
Ready to join our pack? Visit www.carolinacaninecollege.com and fill out the brief contact form at the bottom of every page or call (843) 999-0294.
