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Buddy
Everyone who ever met Buddy will also be saddened at this news; everyone who knew him, or knew about him, was charmed by his gentle demeanor, his friendliness, his manners.
We were the fortunate ones called by Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue and asked if we could foster. We’d just lost our two goldens and they knew we had an “empty” house. It was just for a short time, they promised. “He has just gone live on the website, and he’s so good looking, someone will want him. Can you take him for the short term?” Buddy was five and recovering from heartworm with another foster family who needed to let him go. We said okay. Within a short time, we asked for adoption.
Buddy became an incredible therapy dog, visiting almost daily at the Living Center where my mother lived. He became everybody’s dog. What Buddy did for these folks was nothing that was trained. His behaviors, though absolutely appropriate, were all innate behaviors. He was so intuitive. He could quietly observe, then deliver exactly what was needed. No one watching him would ever guess that Buddy was not certified as a therapy dog. The Center knew that, as I was very upfront about it. They knew me and knew my other dogs who had visited regularly, and they said if I believed in his dependability, then they did too! The reason Buddy wasn’t certified is because I never took him for the test. I am a TDI evaluator. I know what it takes to pass the test, and I knew he couldn’t pass it, because he’d never learned commands. When I stopped, he stopped, because he wanted to. If I lingered, he laid down, because it was appropriate, not because I told him to. His manners were impeccable. He never snatched from a giving hand, never shoved past anyone. He just knew. I didn’t train him to behavior commands because we didn’t need to. His behavior was better than many therapy dogs I’ve seen pass the test! The one thing we had to work hard on, was coming when he was called. Buddy had had three names before we got him. I tested him thoroughly on recall and I could tell, he had no connection to any of them. But when we talked to him and said friendly things like how you doing, buddy, he got excited, and attentive. We could see he liked being our buddy. So, he named himself Buddy. And he would be our buddy Buddy till death do us part. Which was Thursday.
You might have noticed lots of pictures on face book last week of a younger, more active Buddy, in his prime. That was just me, trying to hang on to that time, trying to avoid what we knew we were facing. We’ve taken the weekend to breathe deeply and be involved in other things, before settling in to our new reality. I can’t say the house is quieter. Buddy was quiet. He rarely barked and wasn’t at all rambunctious. But he was very present, always at our side, watching, anticipating our next move which he hoped included him. His was a quiet presence that filled every corner, where I still find old tennis balls. It’s just kind of empty. And we are so glad he was ours. The time went much too quickly. As it does for every pet owner.