Buddy the Wonder Dog! (Woof! Woof!)

• Born in June 1996, somewhere in Nebraska
• Has experienced the socially responsible act of being broken (why do they call it being fixed, anyway?)
• Graduate; Adam's Puppy School, Winchester MA
• Member:
  • Neighborhood Squirrel Watch Volunteer
  • Neighborhood Bird Watch Volunteer
  • Neighborhood Leaf Watch Volunteer
  • Neighborhood Ant Watch Volunteer
  • Snow Lover's Fan Club (it's delicious!)
• Hobbies:
  • Chewing Rawhide
  • Playing Tug-o-war
  • Chewing Rawhide
  • Puppy Fits - STILL (send email if you want a definition)
  • Chewing Rawhide
  • Wanting to be on the other side of any door he encounters
  • Eating weird things like raw squash and ice cubes
  • Did I mention Chewing Rawhide?
  • Making Lynn laugh

In August of 1996 (has it been that long?) the family finally broke down and did what we had been threatening to do for years. We got a dog - Buddy! Buddy is a Black-Lab / German shepherd mix-breed we got from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem MA. Lynn said it was either a dog or another kid, and you don't have to put dogs through college or dress them in designer shoes. When we got him he was 11 pounds and cute. Now he's 50+ pounds and still cute, in a different way. He’s all-black (though lately he's developed a hint of dark brown around the muzzle), so at night he just disappears into the darkness at the end of the leash. If he ever got loose at night, we’d need infra-red goggles just to see him! He's mostly Lynn's dog, but we all have fun with him. He's a real good dog and he learned the doggie-essentials (like no peeing in the house) real quick. He learns tricks and commands pretty well - he will sit and stay, and he can roll over, speak, and play dead on command. Some of the more esoteric things (like letting go of the fetched Frisbee or ball) he has a bit more trouble with, but he's good natured and a real companion for us all.

And he loves rawhide chews.

Buddy has quickly become a member of the family and he gets far more love and affection than he deserves sometimes! He's a real people dog who loves to greet friend and stranger alike with a lick or three. He'll probably never be much of a watchdog (he'd be too busy licking the burglars to notice they were stealing anything), but that's not why we got him. He rides in the car well, and even does well off the leash when there's room to run.

One thing about Buddy that is (or may be) unusual, he has a double set of eyelashes.  Unfortunately, one set grows out normally, but the other set grows inward and they irritate his eyes and sometimes scratch his eyeballs. We have to have the extra lashes plucked periodically (about every 4-6 months - and it has to be done under anesthesia) to keep his eyes from getting irritated and infected.  When that happens, he is miserable and he has to have his lids temporarily sewn shut to let the eyes heal..... pretty horrible for him and for us!

As Buddy has grown, he's exhibited some interesting (and sometimes perplexing) adult-dog traits, something that's new to him and to us.  Read about some troubling incidents (#1 and #2) we experienced, and what we're doing to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"Are we there yet?? Riding in the van makes me sleepy!"

His favorite spot - sitting on the stairs, watching out through the front door!

Ever see a dog smile?  Looks a bit evil........

Buddy doing his Elvis Impersonation: "Uuuuh, Thank-u-very-much!"

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