We had to put down Big Dumb Buddy on May 18th. He was a good dog and we loved him so much.

This blog is basically just a bunch of memories I have of the Old Boy.

And if you’re pissed off because I call him Dumb, you need to read the blog. Or go away and bite yourself

We got Buddy when he was 9 years old. We said goodbye to Buddy on May 18th 2021 when he was 15-1/2 years old.

We got him because of Facebook. It’s the only time I remember something good coming to us from Facebook. Our long-time friend Jen shared a post about Buddy needing a new home. He looked all cuddly in the photos. And there was a cat on the couch with him. All my other dogs hated cats. I had big hopes for Buddy.

Buddy’s was a story I’d seen many times before. A couple gets serious and gets a dog to see if they can handle the responsibility of having a family. The couple teaches the dog to poop outside and not misbehave at cocktail parties. Couple decides they have what it takes to start a family and has a child. Eventually, the couple realizes that having a family is much harder than having a dog. The relationship starts to crumble and the dog gets dumped on Facebook.

I asked one of Buddy’s owners why she was giving Buddy away. She looked directly at me and said her daughter had dog allergies and if she had to choose between her daughter and Buddy she would CHOOSE HER DAUGHTER. In a strange way, I felt guilty because I chose Buddy and not HER DAUGHTER. It was like I was adopting a member of the Manson Family bent on causing HER DAUGHTER harm.

And Buddy kind of looked like the Manson Family’s dog. He had horrible dander. His eyes were goopy-green. His cheeks were bloody from scratching. He wheezed like a leaky boiler. And he wobbled around when he walked. Buddy seemed like a large, stinky, arthritic inconvenience. And he pooped on the lawn. The couple’s daughter was charming and it was clear she adored Buddy. She hung all over him and seemed confused that Buddy was going with us. And the daughter wasn’t covered in hives or gasping for breath like Buddy.

They told us he was up to date on his shots and vet visits. We found out later they hadn’t brought him to a vet since they left California years ago. They said he was AKC registered. Yet his AKC papers weren’t filed for some reason. We didn’t care about that.

All Buddy’s stuff was piled in the foyer like he’d been evicted. Evidently, they just randomly threw his stuff in a big pile– his crappy food, bed, toys, blankets, medicines, shampoos, papers, grooming tools…. Everything was heaped in a pile with no thought, organization, or regard. My eyes fell on his bowl- a nice plastic bowl that had comical pictures of dogs and writing that said “A Dog’s Whole Life Is Ridiculous!”

HER DAUGHTER helped me load it all into the car. Buddy’s owners watched suspiciously from the foyer.

* * * * * * *
Three years later, Buddy’s previous owners decided to move back to California. They asked to see him one last time. When I hesitated, they asked to see Buddy one last time FOR THEIR DAUGHTER’S SAKE, so I assumed they were moving back to California with their daughter.

On that day, only one parent showed up. I didn’t ask. She wanted to see Buddy on the lawn across the street. I brought him over and left him with her and watched through the shop window. Buddy panicked. He squirmed away and ran 20ft away from her. I think he thought she was taking him back and he was terrified. I brought Max, Auggie and Coal across the street and they swamped her. Once Buddy saw the other dogs, he went over to her.

About 10 minutes later, she thanked me and was gone forever......

Read the whole thing here: https://www.twosaltydogs.net/blog/buddy-by-don/