BUDDY!

On April 6^th, 2002, I got a new best friend! This is Buddy! He is a year-old Border Collie cross from Border Collie Rescue out in Manitoba.

I had to put my old Border Collie Buddy down in 2001. He was 18 years old, quite an age for any dog, and he had a good long life. Putting him down was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and it still upsets me to this day, but he was having trouble walking and he stopped eating – a sure time that the end has come. I didn’t have old Buddy as a puppy – he was about a year old when he was given to my brother, who couldn’t keep him and put him at my parents place with their dogs for a few days, who I said I could keep him for a couple of days until someone could find a home for him. Well, we did find a home for him! I didn’t like the name “Buddy” (too common – it’s the most common dog name), but at a year and with all the transfers, I didn’t think it would be fair to change his name when everything else was being disrupted. Buddy turned out to be an entirely appropriate name. For the next 17 years, we were as close as a guy and a dog can be. He looked after me and I looked after him. It was hard to let him go.

After a while, I looked at the SPCA and around for another dog, but just didn’t feel up to it. I also checked out the Border Collie Rescue site on the web, but they didn’t have anything that seemed to be the right match.

Looking at the web site in late February / early March, here was a year-old Border Collie looking for a home. I was trying to be very careful about getting another dog – I didn’t want to think I was getting a reincarnation of Buddy, so to speak. That was part of the reason I wasn’t ready for another dog as I would be looking for one exactly like old Buddy and it wouldn’t be fair to the new dog. However, when I saw these pictures on the web site and read the description:

§ Good natured

§ Outgoing with other dogs, loves to romp and play

§ Loves cats

§ Enjoys people, very affectionate, loves to snuggle

§ Fairly active, but not "herdy"

§ Buddy was surrendered by his previous owner due to a family illness. He’s a loveable dog, who really enjoys lots of attention.

§ Buddy seems to get along equally well with both men and women, and though he was not raised with young children, he’s been good with kids he has met since his arrival. He is still very much a puppy and might be a little awkward around small toddlers but he will settle nicely when asked.

§ Buddy is house trained and crate trained and is looking forward to a lasting relationship with someone who needs a loving companion.

Sounded a lot like old Buddy! I couldn’t help myself and immediately started the process for getting Buddy.

It took a little while, especially considering he was in Manitoba. The JoAnne at his foster home was very good and did everything she could to ensure that Buddy got a good home and that things worked out.

We had Buddy shipped by air. Because it would be a LOT cheaper to have him go with a passenger as baggage rather than as an unaccompanied parcel, arrangements were made to have Buddy go with someone coming back to Vancouver. Good thing! The flight was delayed for hours and the good Samaritan made sure he was taken off the flight, walked and fed. My brother Edward and I went out to the airport at 11:30 at night to pick him up. A little confused and a little stressed, but as the note says, Buddy is a loveable dog. I can remember looking into his eyes that first night and knowing that I had another good, lifetime friend.

Buddy has settled in quickly and rejuvenated Clyde, my brother’s 17-year-old German Shepherd cross. Clyde was nearly blind and nearly deaf and the new pup was a little much for him sometimes, but I think he enjoyed the company and was a little more active with having another dog around. Clyde tried to chase the odd tennis ball and was much more interested in food now that there’s another trying to get a the dish.

Buddy loves to chase a kong – and gets pretty focused on it!

He has a good personality and gets along fine with people. He’s even more curious about the world than a cat!

Buddy seems to have settled in fine, claiming one end of the couch as his own.

A picture of “Old Buddy” and some furry pet of his.

Old Buddy helps with painting!

Buddy often comes out to help with my amateur radio events!