It has taken me a little while to get to a point where I can write this blog. On April 19th I lost a very special friend. Buddy had been in my life for 14 years, and will remain in my heart forever.
Buddy wasn't just a dog, he was an adventure. It is because of Buddy that I will never own a puppy ever again. Have you ever seen that Tom Hanks movie "Turner and Hooch" - Well Buddy was like that dog. He had a good heart, but he destroyed anything in his path. He had awful separation anxiety and the minute he was left alone he'd destroy anything within his reach.
When he was just a puppy, my boyfriend at the time thought it was harmless enough to leash this tiny little dog to the leg of the couch while he went to work. I came home a few hours later to find the couch on the opposite side of the room - Buddy still leashed to the leg - and everything within the path destroyed. He ripped the arm off the couch, the cushion to shreds, ate 2 remote controls, chewed up all the shoes by the front door... it literally looked like a tornado went through my living room. And at the eye of the storm was this precious little puppy.
So next time he was leashed to the stove... I come home and find the stove pulled a foot away from the wall. The next day we tried the refrigerator. He managed not to move the fridge, but instead tore a giant circular section of the lenoleum floor.
So then we tried outside containments. This dog could give Houdini a run for his money. He broke unbreakable leads, broke chains, broke a collar off his neck, jumped fences and ate his way out of a plastic crate! He simply could not stand to be contained and left. All of this from a BEAGLE.. not exactly a big powerful dog, but definitely determined.
Finally after I moved into my own home he got over his separation anxiety. The house came with a doggy door in the laundry room that led into a nice fenced in dog pen. Of course I had to raise the fence from 3 ft to 5 ft because if he got a running jump he could clear the 3ft fence. He was happy to be able to come in and out of the house as he pleased and the separation anxiety finally ended.
Buddy was great with the kids. I was blessed enough to get a picture of him with each of the boys (Copper was afraid of the camera flash so we didn't have any of her and the kids)
Buddy and Logan
Buddy and Brenden
In Buddy's old age he developed chronic skin, ear, and eye issues. This past year was a mountain of vet bills in an effort to make what we knew were his final months as comfortable as possible. April 18th, Buddy ran out of the bathroom, like he always does after a bath, and slipped on the kitchen floor and severly broke his leg. It never even occurred to me that the injury was THAT serious. I just figured I had another mountain of vet bills on my way but was willing to do whatever it took to keep Buddy around.
The next day when the vet was able to Xray the leg I learned the the injury was more serious than I thought. She immediately said he severly broke his femur into two pieces. It was a bad break and would take some major surgery to repair. Then she followed that statement with a lot of 'cons' for going forward with the surgery "but he's 14 years old, he's arthritic, this is an injury difficult for a young dog to recover, his corneas are perforating and he will be blind very soon... etc" It was at that moment I realized she was letting me know that he didn't stand a good chance at improving his life through leg surgery. She said he'd have a very poor quality of life trying to make a recovery like that, plus he had a heart murmer which made him a high risk for anesthesia. After her long speech I told her I needed to call her back while I absorbed all of the reality of the situation. After many tears I made one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I had Sean call them back (I couldn't do it) and told them I'd be there at lunch to spend some final moments with Buddy, and then I'd let them free him from his pain forever.
When I got to the vet she pulled me back into her office to show me the x-ray and to personally tell me she felt like I was making the right decision and that she could clearly see how much Buddy was loved and felt I'd done more than most to make his old age more comfortable. She also explained that bones don't break that easily and he probably was experiencing other issues (like cancer) to have such a serious injury from such a minor fall. She really helped me feel at peace with my decision. I was able to spend a good 30 minutes in a private room giving Buddy (who was drugged up and in lots of pain still) some love and then the nurses took him away. I just couldn't be there when they put him to sleep, but they promised me someone would.
Buddy wasn't just a destructive dog! He was a very energetic and fun dog. He had the classic beagle howl, except it sounded more like a hound because of his size. I would see grown men run back to their cars if they approached the house and heard Buddy howling. I would laugh and say 'um.. its just a beagle barking, you are safe.' I remember when we had the ice storm here in NC and I was without power for 3 days in the dead of winter. Buddy and I curled up in the bed and kept each other warm. At one point I swear I heard his little teeth chattering. He loved to make beds out of clothing. I once found him curled up around a sock he found on the floor. His name was so appropriate because thats what he was to everyone - a buddy. No matter what room you were in, he'd always have to be near you. He loved to lay in the sunshine until he was so hot you had to drag him into the shade for his own good!
He lived a good life and was very loyal to his "wife" Copper. He'd lick her eyes and ears clean and would protect her from anything. I am happy they are together again.
Buddy - you were a great friend and a constant source of energy and entertainment. You were the best snuggler on the planet and I will miss waking up and finding your head on my pillow as if you were human too. You have been one of the few constants in my adult life and have helped me through many tough situations. The house feels so empty without you here. I keep hearing sounds thinking its you and find myself saddened to realize it was just the house creaking. You are very much loved and missed. I hope you are running through the fields of heaven with joy in your heart. You were so tired and weak this past year, I can just picture you now, young and healthy, running as fast as you can with your big floppy ears blowing in the wind. I love you, friend.
