Thursday, September 23, 2010

Our Dog Buddy



He’d been a little like Marley, from Marley and Me, over the years. Nothing but trouble. But the most loyal dog in the world and loved us to pieces. He’d been a handful, but he kept us entertained from the start.


I’ll never forget when we brought him home. My youngest daughter was holding him on her lap. She was a little tot, like 2 1/2. He was a puppy, but rowdy. He nipped her on the nose with his little puppy teeth. You’d think she’d cry, but instead she just gave him this look, got him in a head lock and punched him right in the jaw. LOL Her teeny tiny fist didn’t do a bit of damage. Buddy just wagged his tail and licked her. It was almost as if he were saying, ‘oh, yeah, this is gonna be fun!' LOL




And then there’s the time he managed to get the leftover pizza out of the box, which was sitting on the counter partially closed, without knocking the box on the floor. Heck, the lid was still down even! We were amazed, simply amazed.



And the time he ate a bowl of bite-size Reese Cups. Wrappers and all. My husband knows how I feel about my chocolate so he was afraid Buddy was a goner right then and there. But the bowl, which was an expensive crystal candy dish given to me by my mom, wasn’t knocked down. In fact, it was still sitting in the center of the end table, as if it’d never been touched. Again, I was impressed. Once more, I didn’t have the heart to scold him. LOL



One of the things I miss about Buddy is his nightly ritual. He had this thing where he sat and waited for me to go to bed. He never headed to bed if I was still up. He just waited by the couch for me to finish whatever I was doing. Then, once I was in bed, he'd check the girls’ rooms, before coming into our room and plopping down onto his little tiger rug (on the floor, next to my side of the bed). We got him that little tiger rug when he was just a pup. Seeing it sit there now, empty, has been very hard. :(

Buddy went peacefully this past weekend. We buried him in the yard and said a prayer. Later, we had a fire on the deck and told funny Buddy stories. It seemed like the right thing to do. To remember him with a smile. The thing about pets is that they wiggle their way into your heart and once they're there you don't want to push them back out again.

This house is not the same without him. Our dog, Nutmeg, is too young still, but our other dog, Cinnamon, she feels the loss. She was sick the day after we buried him. And very withdrawn too. I know she misses him. When Betsy went (Cinnamon’s mom) she sort of clung to Buddy (her dad). Now they’re both gone.

So, this is in remembrance of our dog Buddy. Right now I just know he's in doggy heaven, driving the angels crazy with his silly antics. :)

13 comments:

kaenar said...

So sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved Buddy. Breaks my heart. Hope he's in doggy heaven chasing rabbits like crazy and lying right there on God's couch (when he knows he's really not supposed to).
Love,
Kaenar

Natalie Dae said...

HUG.

D. Musgrave said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Buddy's passing. Here is a brilliant story that I've found helpful when I lose one of my best friends.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a
good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and
nuzzle them gently.

Being always grateful for each new day and for the blessing of you.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Anonymous said...

Aw.....so sorry. But what a lovely tribute to a wonderful dog.

Big hugs!!

Valerie
in Germany
valb0302@yahoo.com

Madison Scott said...

So sorry for the loss of Buddy. Glad you have and were able to share such wonderful memories of him though.

kaenar said...

Wow D. Out of the mouths of babes. What a wonderful story. I'm still blubbering.

Lea said...

Oh Anne,

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your Buddy. I too have lost beloved pets over the years and it never gets any easier.

((Hugs))

Marianne Stephens said...

We all love our pets and miss them dearly when they're gone. Doggy Heaven will treat Buddy with kindness!
Hugs to you and your family.

Anne Rainey said...

Kaenar--Thank you. I like to think of him up there making messes on the clouds and the angels saying, "How many times do we have to clean up this cloud!" lol

Anne Rainey said...

Derek--Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story. Kids see things so clearly and we have SO much to learn from them. :)

Anne Rainey said...

Thanks, ladies.

It's at least comforting to know that he's not in pain now. It was getting so that it was obvious to us that it hurt a bit to walk.

Desirée Lee said...

My first experience losing an animal was when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My aunt Gail gave me a chicken and I named it Sarah.

Long story short, Sarah died. My dad was out of town working so my mom called her brother to come 'take care of it.'

I called up my aunt, bawling. "Aunt Gail... Sarah DIED!"

She tried to console me by saying she'd gone to Heaven. I knew better.

"She didn't go to Heaven! Uncle Gus came and put her in a garbage bag and she went to the DUMP!"

I'm glad Buddy had a peaceful sendoff from a family who loved him. I know it's hard to see him go, but at least his last days were spent in love and caring.

Carpe Noctem,
Des

Author Desirée Lee
Putting the Romance Back in Necromancy
http://www.desireelee.com

Kelley Heckart said...

Sorry to hear that your dog Buddy passed away. The bond between a human and an animal can be stronger in some ways than a human/human bond.

Your blog post is a touching memorial to him. My thoughts are with you.