BEWARE OF DOG! ... for he will leave lasting paw prints on your heart!
I will forever be thankful for the love and companionship our Golden Retriever provided. We adopted him in the summer of 1998 after moving back to Iowa from Missouri. My son who was just turning nine, was a fan of the "Buddy" movies wherein the dog ends up being a member on various sports teams--the first one in the movie series was basketball-themed and titled "Air Bud." So, of course, our dog's name would be Buddy!
Since this Buddy was AKC registered, we listed his name officially as Buddy O' Love. (You see, another favorite movie of ours at that time was "The Nutty Professor" with Eddie Murphy where the professor's second personality was named Buddy Love)...guess you can deduce already that we like to watch movies in our house! Even though Buddy had Golden Retriever papers, we unfortunately never met his parents (a mistake I won't make a second time if and when the time comes that I want to adopt a dog again). With his darker red coat and longer nose, we always felt Buddy must have been part Irish Setter. Whatever he was, he was definitely a smart and unique creature, and my son loved him very much.
Our Buddy O' Love was born in July 1998, so he was still a young puppy when he became part of our family; and like most puppies, he chewed on EVERYTHING...sometimes even my very last nerve. He also barked at everything incessantly! But he also faithfully gave us his full attention and sincere affection that kept us from being mad at him for very long.
As you can see from the video above, Ross and Buddy were inseparable. The bit where Ross is on roller blades with Buddy pulling him down the sidewalk was nearly a daily routine for the dynamic duo, and the neighbors took great delight in watching the spectacle. I cringed everyday wondering if my son would take a tumble and be dragged for several hundred feet or if they would not get stopped in time and careen out into oncoming traffic at the end of the block.
A simple game of fetch or a more strenuous rope tug-of-war or wrestling play were Ross and Buddy's favorite pastimes. Ross would not allow the 'puppy' inside of Buddy to ever grow up.
Ross and Buddy attended a dog training class as part of a 4-H project early on, and Ross received a trophy for most improved dog handler. When my son moved to Texas after attending community college, Buddy went with him. And when Ross later moved to Northern Minnesota, Buddy moved back in with us and became my companion for walks and car rides and just sitting and watching movies.
In his senior years, Buddy lost most of his hearing. He never lost his trust and love for us; however.
After his passing at the ripe old canine age of 15, we all delighted in sharing some of our favorite memories of our beloved pet...
"He would howl longer than any other dog in the neighborhood when the noon siren blew."
"He once ate a half of a bag of chocolate candy."
"He once ate the middle out of a sour cream cake that was cooling on the counter (which we later frosted and served at a family potluck)."
"He devoured $100 worth of groceries...in the form of a supermarket gift certificate LOL."
"He stuck his nose up the judge's skirt at an obedience show."
"He could roll around on the ground just right to undo the clip on his rope setting himself free."
When Mary was little, she was asked what kind of dog she had, to which she replied, "An Orange one."
"There was a time when he could heel, but in his later years, he really just wanted to get places quicker."
"He was deaf as a post, but his smeller still worked."
Pets do indeed become part of the family, and Buddy was no exception. It was heart wrenching to watch as he became more and more feeble, and I could not imagine ever going through that again.
Two years have gone by since Buddy left us to cross over the Rainbow Bridge and I am now at the point again of contemplating adopting a dog. I guess if you've loved a dog once, you could love a dog again.
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