January 28, 2012 ~ Poo On a Shoe (the Buddy story)

Billy had a good day today getting to see lots of family and being a little imp. But today I want to talk about Billy's best friend, Buddy.

When Grandpop was over this evening Buddy pooed on Grandpop's shoe. There was blood. We'll be going to the doctor first thing Monday, since he is acting normal now. He responds this way whenever there is a change in his environment and there was a big change today (furniture went to new homes).

Even though Buddy is now 11, we haven't had him that long. He was Daddy's mother's dog. When God called her away, we took Buddy in and gave him a home. That was before Daddy and I were married, but we were engaged. Buddy joined us living at Grandma's house.

When we first got Buddy he was a walking ottoman. No really. He'd grown fat stealing food from his hetero-housemate Tigger the Cat. Tigger went to live with another relative. But when we got Buddy he was very fat, morbidly obese by veterinary standards and in an unhealthy condition. The first thing we did was switch him to diet food and moderate his eating habits.

Buddy soon became our baby. For Halloween we bought him a costume. At Christmas he had a Christmas sweater. We bought him tons of toys, took him for walks and made him a big part of our life. I groomed him twice weekly and spent a fortune getting him professionally groomed. Then came the wedding.

It started as a joke and blossomed into a reality. We didn't plan on a ring bearer. The pillow was a leftover from work and we jokingly let Buddy carry it around the house to practice. Practice makes perfect, after all.

The fact is that Buddy has been an integral part of our lives. We love him and even though Billy gets priority, Buddy is still always in our minds. For Christmas Buddy went to Grandma's house to visit while we went to see family. Didn't want him alone on Christmas.

But unfortunately, he's old and he's sick. It's not just today. We know he's sick. He has a terminal liver disease and has already exceeded his life expectancy. We love him so dearly and it's hard to imagine life without dog. I know it exists, I just don't see how. How will Billy cope without Budbud? Every morning who does he want to see? Budbud.

So, I hope this is just a glitch and that Buddy will stick around for awhile. He is our second son, even if he is the neglected child.