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In Memory of Buddy Bear
Found Us July 3, 2005 Left Us September 27, 2006 |
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We were driving home one night when we saw cars ahead of us swerving
left and right. We thought there was an accident, but it was a dog
standing in the road, looking very lost and confused. All the
other cars were driving around him, but we pulled over to the side of
the road. I got out and called "sweetie, sweetie" in
baby-talk. He lumbered over and immediately climbed into our back
seat and collapsed. We took him home.
The dog had many health problems. His tongue was so swollen that he was unable to eat or drink the first night. He had a growth hanging on his leg. We took him for emergency evaluation the first day, then to a regular vet. He had anemia and wasn't well, so we couldn't turn him in at the shelter. Usually I turn strays in at the shelter so that their owner can find them, but if you turn in an ill dog, they don't receive medical care. This dog would have simply failed. So we kept him and started on the road with veterinary care to get him well. His tongue got better, the growth on his leg was removed, he got fed lots of good stuff, and various medicines were prescribed to work on his anemia. We wound up calling him Buddy Bear because he was such a teddy bear... he loved to cuddle! |
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The other dogs were wary of him at first...
...but they warmed up to him, and |
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Buddy and Indie became best friends. They did a lot of exploring together. Whenever Buddy was feeling better, they would spend hours in the yard sniffing around. |  |
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Prissy miss Alex enjoyed having a man around the house, though Buddy actually didn't like her very much. |
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Buddy was my right hand man, as you can see from the layout of my work station... | 
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Buddy loved people and whatever we did, he wanted to do. |
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When he didn't feel well, he sat around and conserved his energy... |
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...when he felt good, he enjoyed sniffing the breeze during car rides,
eating, running up and down the hallway...
...and more than anything, he loved being petted & baby-talked to. |
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"Mom, the light has turned green. Quit taking my photo and pay attention!" |
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As far as we could figure, Buddy Bear was a mix of American
Staffordshire Terrier, and short-hair Saint Bernard.
His Saint Bernard side showed in his size, his huge eyes, the shape of his head, and his hysterical reaction to thunderstorms and fireworks. His American Staffordshire side showed in the colors of his fur, his oversized head, and the pink skin-spot on his nose. |
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When we first had Buddy he was quite sick. He got better, though,
and for some months he was doing very well. Then he got sick again.
Buddy had a lot of visits to the veterinarian. He didn't like going to the vet, but he was always a perfect gentleman about it, in his own goofy way. |
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