Buddy

The rescued becomes the rescuer Our family was so excited to get a dog! One of our boys wanted a husky, the other wanted a Shepherd. I happened to be at the pound picking up a stray chicken and asked if I could walk past the dogs up for adoption. There he was a beautiful white dog with dark hopeful eyes. The information posted on the door read Husky Shepherd mix. Perfect! Well, almost. When we got Buddy home, he needed to be taught that our laying hens were friends, not food. Eventually he understood, and the baby chicks often rested in the thick white fur around his head. He loved his new life and never left our sides. Even if we had to run an errand without him, he laid on the front porch until he heard our car coming down the road and was always there to greet us as we drove in the driveway. One time our family was going on a mini vacation for a few days and had our friend, Asa, come and stayed at the house with Buddy. Buddy was lying on top of an old railroad baggage cart listening in as we gave Asa instructions on how to care for him while we were gone. We told Asa that if he told Buddy to stay, he would stay. We didn’t use a collar or a leash for him because he always obeyed us. Finding that a little hard to believe, Asa gave in and decided to give it a try. Asa had a couple of quick errands to run so he told Buddy to stay on the baggage cart. He reluctantly left our home and ran his errands. When he got back to our house, there was Buddy, still lying on the baggage cart. One frigid January afternoon we got a call from a distressed neighbor. Her son was missing in the woods near our house. The call to 911 was made but we didn’t waste any time. We knew the trails well and ventured out with Buddy at the helm. It wasn’t too long before Buddy located our neighbor semiconscious face down in a snowy ravine. Our neighbor’s life was spared due to the keen instincts of our now rescue dog, Buddy. The two days just prior to his passing were some of the hardest times I’ve ever experienced. Knowing his time was short I wanted to spend every minute with him. One of his favorite places to relax was in the back of our Prius with the hatch open. That way he knew he would always be with us if we went somewhere. He loved to listen to me strum the guitar. I played his favorite songs and then held his head in my arms and watched him take his last breath. It’s been seven years now, and I still cry when I think of that day. My son insisted we build him a casket. I could hardly see through the tears as we put together a simple wooden box. Buddy is laid to rest in a special knoll behind our home. He’ll forever be part of us.