buddy

The last time he was at doggie daycare and sleepover, the folks there said “Buddy is like the grand daddy of the bunch. Nobody messes with him and everyone listens to him.” For example, apparently there has been this lab that bullies other dogs and has been the terror of the kennel. He was bullying a smaller dog. Buddy was nonchalantly walking by, looked over, didn’t like what he saw, growled and quickly put his mouth around the dog’s neck, let go, and went on his merry way. J The dog stopped harassing others after that.

And they say Story is like his constant companion, never leaving his side.

Buddy’s newest gig is bolting out the door and heading for the trees. One day a couple of weeks ago he noticed a squirrel up there and now he thinks there are millions up there (there aren’t…we don’t have many up here). J

So that’s the scoop on Buddy. We love him! Beverly

Update: 1/17/08

Buddy is such a handsome fella and we love him to death. Every night and morning at the same time he paws his food bowl telling us it’s time for him to eat (he’d eat 24/7 if he could!). His food aggression has finally died down quite a bit, which is much easier for everyone in the house.

He’s at a healthy 100 lbs, so he hasn’t gained too much since we adopted him. We look at pictures you had on your website and look at him now and he still looks the same.

He and Story are the best of friends…he really puts up with her. He is always so gentle when they’re play fighting whereas she plays rough. J They are also great traveling dogs! We’ve taken them on some 6 hour car rides and they were perfect, and even perfect guests in the bed and breakfast we stayed in. Buddy loves people, although sometimes he scares them to death with his size.

Buddy also is our “house mouse hunter.” We’ve never had mice until one moved in recently. Buddy is on the prowl daily trying to listen for it. One day, he was so close that he didn’t notice the mouse was hanging above his head on the wall for dear life. He’s such a funny dog.

Attached is a picture from one of our fall hiking trips.

August 18, 2007: It’s been a while since I wrote. 6 days after I last wrote, my sweet Gabi passed away. It hurt my heart so badly, I couldn’t stop crying for a week straight. I miss her so much. Buddy didn’t notice her gone so much as Story did. She would search the house whenever we came home thinking Gabi was with us. We have to say that having Buddy and Story made Gabi’s passing a little easier. And we can be thankful that Gabi’s deterioration only took place over week’s time. It was unexpected … I still get choked up just talking about her.

Here are some pictures of Buddy and Story. They are best friends now. Buddy LOVES being chased outside. He’ll provoke Story until she starts chasing him. It’s the cutest thing. I’ll have to send you a video of that.

He has always been sweet, but you can see he is being even more affectionate these days (as if he gets “Ok, this really will be my forever home”).

We used to come home to little disasters all the time (he sure loves shredding stuff!), but those instances are getting less and less.

Lots of long day hikes through beautiful country for the puppers this summer!

As you know, Buddy is always barking at passerbys and seems scary, although we know he’s all talk. However, there was one time where I was hiking with the dogs alone and came back to my car to find three young men around my car (I was in a remote area). I ignored them as they tried to talk to me and got the dogs in the car. As they approached the driver’s door, Buddy growled and began barking ferociously. I’d never seen that before…but it worked because they backed off immediately. I know he’d help me out if I ever needed it!.

4/19/07: Hello! It’s been a crazy couple of months here, and thus the delay in updates. Also, I had the package all ready to go and Buddy decided to tear up the package and smell the collar. J So we’ll try again soon.

The dogs are figuring out where they rank in the pack. Buddy and Story haven’t attacked Gabi in over a month I think. Funnily enough, Gabi is actually the pack leader, Buddy is in the middle, and Story is the omega.

The snow finally melted! And I think Buddy misses it. J He knows the yard boundaries now, so doesn’t wander off. Story will keep him occupied by chasing him around the yard. He loves it.

Everywhere we go, people ask “What kind of dog is that?!” And then they always say he’s so handsome, which he knows he is. J I included some pictures. The one of all three was them waiting to come up to the main level (they were blocked off by a baby gate). We were getting hardwood floors installed.

Beverly

Week 4 Highlights
**Buddy is walking off lead now. He heels like the smartest dude in the world. Last weekend we learned the “place” command where he is supposed to sit where I tell him and not move (generally on an elevated object). We’re still working on that one. ;-)
**We removed two of the chairs around the dining room table that were allowing him to step up (even though he could easily jump up if he wanted). He hasn’t been up there in a couple of days!
**No poop the last couple of days either (and we were gone all day yesterday). Although we expect an accident every once in a while, he’s making us proud.
**He finally started removing all the stuffed toys from the closet and flinging them all about. They used to be Worf’s but it seems appropriate that he should have them now.
**He extracted my jacket off the hanger from the closet and proceeded to access a hidden pocket that had doggie treats in them.

Weeks 2 and 3 Highlights:
**Story is starting to play with Buddy. That’s fun to watch. Often we’ll hear play growling and find them both romping around on our bed.
**Buddy does heel and sit perfectly when we go on walks now. He no longer challenges me on that. He also comes and sits when called.
**Often, when we forget to close the door down to the entertainment room (where we keep Buddy’s food in the laundry room), we’ll find him down there munching away with his head in the bag. J
**Oh, and our favorite, is if he’s in the living room while we’re eating, and wants to beg but knows he can’t, he keeps his head on the ground, flops his tail, and starts barking in a wimpy way without opening his mouth.

Week 1 Highlights:
**We’d hoped the 5 year old, Story, would play with Buddy. But looks like Cory is more likely to be his playmate.
**Buddy and Story are still trying to figure out who’s the Alpha (85 lbs versus 40 lbs). We still haven’t broken the news to her that no matter how much she puffs herself up, she won’t be intimidating Buddy.
**Given that Gabi and Story are huskies and not guard dogs by nature, they run around looking confused whenever Buddy decides to release “the woof.”
**Buddy finds it acceptable to do “number 1” outside, but absolutely unreasonable to do “number 2” outside. We’re hoping it’s just because he can’t find a patch of grass beneath the several feet of snow we have. J
**Has anyone told Buddy he’s not a 10 lb lap dog?
**Buddy loves watching little snowballs roll down the mountain and then attacking them, throwing his head full force under the snow.
**We decided to work with a trainer for both of our new furry friends (Story and Buddy). They want to be so good, but some of their innate animal instincts kick in over which they have no control. Buddy is a stubborn fella, but you can tell he definitely knows what he's supposed to do.

Attached are some pictures (for which you’ll find the captions below) and some highlights of Buddy’s first weeks in Colorado . Enjoy!

Buddy is finally in his new home thanks to a lot of effort by both his new family and Perry of Perry's Orphans who did a lot of driving to help out. Here is the first email as Buddy settles in:

Hi Carol,
     I just wanted to send along some pictures of Buddy. He seems to have settled in nicely and has quite a healthy appetite. :) This morning, we left him and Story home alone for 30 minutes (Gabi is visiting with Cory's sister). Everything was fine, except he had made himself comfortable on the couch. It was a great laugh and was expected. He sure loves being cozy. Right now, he's sitting on one of the couches with Cory. Picture included.
      This morning we went out for a short walk on our land. Buddy romped around in the snow. He found it very entertaining. Picture included.
    Then we made breakfast while he supervised Cory's cooking skills. Picture included.
    This afternoon, I will take him on his first miniature snowshoeing expedition near our house. Nobody is out today (since it's snowing again), so I should be able to handle him and Story at the same time. :)

Carol, thanks so much for everything and the updates will keep on coming!

Beverly and Cory, Gabi, Story, Buddy


Meeting for the first time in Salina , Ks.	This is a rough life	Buddy and new little sister Story keeping warm

This is the life (he’s actually standing on at least 4 feet of snow)	Yay snow!!!	Enough pictures already