We adopted Buddy from the ARL in February 2012, five months after we were married. He was eight when we adopted him, and I knew that meant our time with him would be limited. He was a breeder reduction, and I knew we could show him a love he hadn't known. We had no business even going to the ARL to look at dogs. We were living in an apartment at the time and they didn't allow dogs on our floor. But, I twisted Andrew's arm and off we went. Little did I know, my heart would be stolen. Buddy drew me in immediately as I watched him drag his bed over to the door of the kennel so he could see better. He was a people watcher, and I knew I had to have him. Yes, the way in which he joined our family was a little outside the rules, but he became ours. I remember sitting with him in the living room the day after getting him thinking, "what the heck have we done". I had a dog growing up, but that was when I was really little. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a dog. The first night we had him, he slipped his collar in the apartment parking lot. I thought for sure we was gone that night. Luckily, we caught up with him and got him safely back inside. After only a few weeks in the apartment, we realized we had to get out of there before we got kicked out of there, so we purchased our first home and gave Buddy a home to call his own and a yard to run around in.
Eight months after we got Buddy, we added Maya to the family. Buddy had a friend, and we could tell he loved it. They bonded almost instantly and were really quite inseparable.
Buddy was my shadow and would follow me anywhere. The love he showed us was pure and endless; all he ever wanted was to be near his people. We loved him more than I thought was possible, and the hole he has left in our hearts will forever be there. When Buddy started having problems with his neck and back a few years ago, I thought our time was coming to and end. He hung on and fought to get better. Through medications and acupuncture he pulled through. However, each battle he had with the pain, I could tell was slowing him down more and more. Each time he had an episode, I wondered if that would be the end of our journey on this earth together. In the end, it was his heart that took him from us. Buddy had a heart murmur for several years. About a year and a half ago, we started him on meds to help his heart function a little better. He instantly had new life and was playful again. We knew it was only buying us time. How much time was anyone's guess.
Slowly, Buddy's heart murmur got worse. At Easter this year, he was wheezing and coughing a lot. I knew something wasn't right. The Friday before Easter, he followed me up the stairs and collapsed. I panicked. I thought we lost him. He jumped back up moments later as if nothing had happened. In my gut, I knew the end was near. We took him to the vet the next morning. Confirming my fears, his lungs were filled with fluids. We started him on medications to eliminate the fluid. However, he had no appetite. Which, for anyone who knew Buddy knew wasn't like him. He loved food. I tried everything; hamburger, rice, ham, eggs, hot dogs, wet food, and none of it worked. He didn't want to eat. He was throwing up from the stomach acid building up. I was desperate and called the vet begging for a solution. We could try medications to stimulate his appetite, but this again wasn't a fix, it was just buying time. I told myself if the medications didn't work, I knew it was time to let him go. Ultimately, Buddy stopped eating. He wouldn't take his medications any more, and at that point I knew he was ready. He was tired. He spent his last years with us as part of a family; something he hadn't known before us. I still wait to hear his footsteps coming down the stairs. I miss his monkey noises as he ran across the yard. I miss his snuggles. I miss his food dance. I miss his big brown eyes. I miss his tail straight as a stick as he sniffs across the yard. As much as I wanted to keep him with us, I knew the right thing for Buddy was to let him run free. I know the hurt will heal in time, but for now I feel a piece of our family is gone. Gone, but never forgotten.
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