This is Buddy. I always feel weird saying he’s my dog, I don’t think that being responsible for another person/animal makes one the owner of the dependent. Then again if I say ‘my friend’ I’m referring to the mutual relationship with the friend. So I’ll say he’s my friend that I look after.
A lot of these posts will be about Buddy because he is an important part of my life and happiness so I’ll start from the beginning.
Buddy a few days after adoption.
Buddy came into my life back in 2014 around September. My best friend Blake (his name will pop up a lot in these posts) and I were drinking on a weekend, at the time he was working at a doggy day care place that also looked after rescue dogs. I have never had my own dog before, but I had been toying with the idea of getting a dog for the past few years ever since I took care of Blake’s German Shepard named ‘Bomber’ for a brief period of time. But I never made a solid commitment to search for my own pup to share my life with. Blake informed me that he had found the perfect dog for me, a lovable Bull Arab who was up for adoption, that knew how to give hugs and had the same temperament as Bomber – Bomber is one of that loveliest dogs a person could ever meet by the way, not a mean bone in his body.
Blake made Buddy sound like one of the best dogs ever, mixed with the fact that I also have a high respect for Blake’s opinion resulted in me harassing my father (whom I was living with at the time) that we have to go adopt this dog named Buddy (who I really knew nothing about) on Monday. My father initially said no due to the fact that I was leaving for Montreal for the first time in 2-3 weeks, I responded with pleas of how he is the best dog ever and he will be gone by the time I get back from Montreal (my stay there was only for 2 weeks). My father being the pinnacle of human niceness that he is, gave in and we went to adopt Buddy.
At the doggy day care place I asked for Buddy and the owner\manager lady gave me Buddy’s ‘favourite toy’ – a big pink ball with a handle – and let me take Buddy to the nearby park to have a little meet and greet. We got to the park, Buddy gave me no hugs, he didn’t give two shits about his ‘favourite toy’, and he ran off from me almost immediately. Fortunately, the park had a closed gate around it. He did eventually respond to my father calling for him and he did give my dad quite a few hugs. Buddy didn’t give a shit about me. Buddy also left hair all over me, being a short haired white dog that molts hair like rain in a hurricane is kinda annoying considering my entire wardrobe is black.
We took Buddy back to the doggy place they asked me how it went and I responded ‘I love him’, I have never said I love something so insincerely in all my life. I didn’t love him. I didn’t feel anything for him at all. I adopted him anyways. It takes me a long time to warm up to anything so I figured I just needed more time with him.
Buddy and me shortly after adoption.
In the car ride home I noticed myself saturated by his hair. I said to myself ‘I’m stuck with him, it’s just hair, accept it’. I stopped caring about having something as trivial as dog hair on me right then and there and have since never understood why people get bothered by dog hair. When we got home, Buddy made himself comfortable on my bed then pretty much slept for 3 days straight.
Although Buddy had a lovely temperament with humans he would often try and fighter Bomber when they were around the same area. Usually when there were lots of people around. I was a little put off with having a giant vicious dog that wanted to fight things because I am a complete pussy and have no clue how to handle such a situation. Blake on the other hand has lots of experience with big dogs trying to fight each other and how to stop it. Bomber is also incredibly gentle (unless provoked) and very obedient so the combination of Blakey and Bomber made for a great sensei with me learning how to manage Buddy. Blake said the training would consist of ‘showing Buddy that life isn’t about fighting anymore, it’s about relaxing, enjoying cuddles and getting fat’.
After returning from Montreal I found that Buddy and my dad had bonded quite well, Buddy seemed to prefer my father over me. Also shortly after returning from Montreal I moved into the house that Blake, Bomber and my friends Ash, Luke, Pip and Manny were living in. What followed was months of learning how to look after a dog in a party house with random people visiting, Buddy eating things he isn’t meant to, Buddy trying to fight Bomber, managing people and their interactions with Buddy and housemates not liking having Buddy around. It was initially a little stressful in regards to looking out for Buddies health. Buddy being the adorable charmer that he is eventually won everyone over. However, at the time I still hadn’t really bonded with Buddy.
Buddy and me are opposites. He is a stinky bulldozing garbage monster that loves cuddling and being playful silly. I’m very reserved, clean, like my personal space and I imagine it would be painfully awkward to see me try to play with Buddy when he is in the mood for a wrestle. I really didn’t give him any affection and the most we would cuddle is when I would pass out drunk and wake up to Buddy sleeping on my pillow next to me. He actually knew when I was drunk and would climb onto the bed after I had passed out and cuddle me in my sleep.
Buddy wearing Manny’s shirt.
I decided maybe I should find Buddy someone who would love him rather than him being stuck with a cold jerk like myself. I mentioned this to my housemates and most were accepting and could tell that I wasn’t bonding with him. I suppose the one thing me and Buddy have in common is how transparent we are. Manny (who I also consider a best friend) got upset at the prospect of Buddy not being in the household. He loved Buddy. We had Bomber, but Bomber only loves Blake and doesn’t interact with people, Buddy goes were the cuddles and fun is and is indiscriminate with who he gets it from. Manny pleaded that I not get rid of Buddy and that he can be the house dog that everyone would look after and how he looks forward to seeing Buddy every time he gets home from work. I had never seen this side of Manny before. I decided that Buddy is a fun guy to have around. I started to think of him as a friend that just needed a place to crash, so he can stay with me, he never did become the house dog though.
I’ll always be indebted to Manny for what he said.
A short while after that I was working and like Manny, I found myself being excited to see him when I got home. Buddy was also slowly gaining bed privileges. I would allow him to watch movies with me and sleep on my bed some nights. In summer it was like sleeping next to a fireball, he would want to be as close to me as possible, I would move away due to said fireballness, then Buddy would move closer to me again. Before I knew it, I would nearly be off the bed as he held dominance.
Finally, it happened. Buddy had been in my life for about 4-5 months at the time, and I said ‘I love you Buddy’ as we were cuddling on my bed. This time with full sincerity. I was shocked that it had slipped out. I didn’t intend to say it, but I did, and it was true. I later informed Blake who triumphantly laughed ‘Yes! Garbage dog wins!’. Buddy is an unstoppable force of attrition when it comes to something he wants. He wants on the bed, he’s going to get on the bed sooner or later. He want’s what you’re eating, he will stare at you until your mind cracks and you give it to him. That being said he is always a gentleman, he is patient and rarely forceful. At least to me.
A week later I took Buddy to the vet to book a surgery to remove a growth in his mouth. One of Buddy’s greatest joys is eating. The grow in his mouth would bleed when he ate bones, he would then scratch the shit out of his face due to the irritation of it. I wanted to get the growth removed so he could enjoy munching on bones, quality of life stuff. The vet informed me that I shouldn’t really worry about the growth in his mouth so much as all the skin cancer around his tummy. I’ve never seen a dog enjoy sunbaking as much as Buddy, this vice of his had ramifications. He was covered in lumps, I just assumed he was naturally lumpy. The vet said that he would most likely have multiple surgeries over his life but more lumps would always grow back and eventually they would say enough is enough.
Buddy has had full bed privileges since. He’s actually happily napping away on my bed as I’ve been writing this.
Discovering more and more of Buddy’s personality over the year that I’ve had him has been a joy. I glossed over some of his personality in this writing but I will share more stories and aspects of him in future posts. I love him. When a person loves something they want to share that something with the world.
