Our Beloved Dog Buddy

This year is coming to an unhappy end for us.  Our dear dog Buddy was 15 years old but seemed to be doing well.. then on Friday night he started acting very odd, panting and disoriented and upset.  He had a very bad night with seizures and so Dayle took him to the emergency veterinarian clinic in the morning and they said it looked like he'd had a stroke.. they were discussing running some tests when he fell over and was having a seizure.  Then Dayle had to make a terrible decision.  You can guess the rest.  :-(

I got him as a gift for Dayle before Christmas 15 years ago.  He's been a very loved little dog.

When I brought him home, Dayle was still working and I was his main caregiver.  I put him on my left thigh and would have my laptop computer or crafting projects on my lap on the right.  And that is where he would be for all these years.  Right there.

We took him everywhere.  We took him on our weeklong camping trip to Waldo Lake and family reunion every August - we got him a dog life jacket and he became a sailor.

We let him grow his hair out until finally we realized he needed grooming.. and look at this fancy man who came home.  :-)

He was so calm that I could even do watercolors with a jar of water balanced on my lap.  :-)

He was a frequent subject of my photographing exploits.. I thought he was adorable.

Buddy even loved kayaking.  

A photo of Dayle walking Buddy on our last trip to the beach in October.  

The same trip, curled up in his bed in the hotel.

He kept me company while I crocheted a dozen hats to donate to babies born to underprivileged mothers in Brazil.

Keeping track of the fish in our pond.

He really loved spending time in our trailer at both the beach and at camp at the lake.

When I was scrolling through photos I found this older photo of Dayle and his two little grandsons and Buddy too.  

I must say that I will always be grateful to know that we gave this little fur kid a wonderful life full of love, good food and extremely good care.  And he gave us endless devotion.

So this is my tribute to a dog well loved.  If you have a dog, please give him a pat and a hug and a nice treat for me.. and Buddy.

((hugs)), Teresa