Remembering Buddy

This past Sunday night, our dog Buddy passed away. And as dogs go, he was about the best there was.

Almost ten years ago, Laura’s dad showed up at our house one day with a German Shepherd named Buddy. Laura was of course anxious to take him in. And although I was a little reluctant, I eventually agreed. Looking back, I’m glad I did.

Buddy was about as lovable of a dog as you could find. He always acted happy to see us, and if we were outside doing anything, he was always right there with us. When we would be driving up the driveway coming home, he would look at our car, and then look back at the garage door to see if it was going to open. I guess that was a signal to him that it was really us.

Despite his appearance, he was about the most gentle dog I have ever seen. However, some people weren’t always convinced of that. Delivery people and service people would often wait to get out of their trucks until they saw us coming out, because they were afraid he might eat them. Little did they know that he would just lick them happily. More than once, someone has called from inside their car while sitting in our driveway, asking us to come get our dog so that they could get out. So perhaps he was good for our safety, too.

I often wonder what all animals he might have kept away. He didn’t have to chase off the deer, but I’m sure that on more than one occasion he kept some coyotes away, and maybe some other unwanted animals as well.

Although we were fortunate never to have to see it, I do wonder how he would have been if he ever felt that we were threatened. I was always confident that he would protect us if the need ever were to arise.

He loved to try to make the horses run, even though he couldn’t get in the pasture with them. He loved to play with Jaylin. He loved any kind of attention at all.

But then last week, everything changed. Buddy had a seizure on Wednesday night, after seeming perfectly normal earlier in the day. He never was the same after that. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with him, and we had an appointment to see a specialist to try to determine what was causing his seizures, but he died before we could get that checked out. Which I know was probably for the best, because he didn’t have to suffer for very long.

Still, even though it was for the best, that doesn’t always make it easy for the rest of us.

So long, Buddy. You were a good dog.