Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, Dog, funny dog stories, laugh, pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog. mango
Did you eat my mango?
Oh boy! I heard that familiar sound. Here comes Buud, down the hall with Maw Maw in hot pursuit. What did he do this time? He rounded the corner between the hall and my office and sprang to my lap. Maw Maw was not far behind. Buud sat erect, facing front, with no sign of fear or intimidation. He’s now sitting on “base”, he’s safe on my lap. He always runs to my lap when he’s in trouble.
Maw Maw, shaking her finger in his face, demands, ”Did you do this? I know it wasn’t Precious. She doesn’t do this kind of thing.” Maw Maw thrusts a half-eaten Mango in front of his nose and inquires with a scolding voice, “Did you eat my Mango? These are Maw Maw’s, not yours. You have your own treats. Mangos are my favorite treat and you ate my last one!”
Both Buud and I sat there, looking up sheepishly, and then It struck me… I had no reason to feel guilty. After all, I didn’t eat her Mango.
Then I did it! I don’t know why I can’t keep my mouth shut. I have a propensity to say things that are absolutely unnecessary. This time I realized, as the first word left my mouth, that this was one of those ill thought-out responses. But I just couldn’t stop the words from flowing. I said, “Oh look, Buud likes Mangos, we have to get him some more!” Wrong thing to say!
Now, Buud and I are both in the dog house.
Precious doesn’t even know what the dog house is. She has never seen the inside of it. Precious is “Miss goody-two-shoes”!
Buud and I, on the other hand, are a little more of the world. We visit the dog house quite frequently.
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, Dog, funny dog stories, laugh, pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog. Perfect dog
How can she say he's bad?
Maw Maw says Buud is a little bad. Well she really says Buud is very bad. I just don’t see it. Now “Precious”, Maw Maw says, “does nothing wrong. I agree but my little Buud is perfect too.
Maw Maw says that Buud steals her pencils, takes them behind the sofa and chews off the erasers. Well, duh, who hasn’t done that?
Maw Maw says he collects paper, plastic, hair brushes and other small items and hides them under the bed. Doesn’t it seem to you that it’s better than having those things strewn all over the house?
Maw Maw says he’s always snitching peppermint candies from her purse. What’s Maw Maw doing eating all that candy anyway. It’s a health issue.
Maw Maw says you have to watch him as he likes to take people’s wallets and distribute the money. Now, I know that doesn’t sound good, but I think, with a little training that could fund our retirement.
Maw Maw says he runs to my lap when she scolds him. I love it!
Maw Maw says he plays too rough with Precious. She’s always scolding with, “Buud, no roughhousing!” Robin, our daughter says that when Precious came to live with us she had “a little junk in her trunk”. She’s getting svelte now. Roughhousing is a good thing.
Maw Maw says he hides when she calls him or is looking for him. No comment!
I’m sorry, Maw Maw, but I see no flaws in my little boy. I see only perfection.
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, Dog, ice cream. funny dog stories, laugh, pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Why do I always get the blame when the ice cream is missing? Finding the empty carton behind the sofa proves nothing.
Who ate the ice cream?
Well, it wasn’t me! I didn’t eat all the ice cream right out of the carton!
Safe in Paw Paw’s arms
Maw Maw comes chasing Buud into the bedroom scolding him all the way. Buud jumps in bed with me and scoots up against my side, sliding his head under my hand. He lifts his head with my hand on top, looks at Maw Maw, and with his eyes says, “Take it up with Paw Paw”.
They listen well.
Paw Paw: Maw Maw, don’t you think you should close the door so the pups don’t get out?
Maw Maw: Why, I told them to stay.
Precious has a better way.
Buud does his tricks for treats. Precious thinks the tricks are unnecessary so she just climbs on my lap and takes the treats.
Precious got the better of Buud.
Yesterday morning both Precious and Buud were on the bed with me. Buud was in his prime spot between my legs and Precious took up her usual, second-rate position on the bottom of the bed next to me. Buud is Alpha and won’t let her near me in the bed.
Maw Maw came in and asked, “Who wants to go outside?” Precious, with great enthusiasm, jumped up in response, and ran to the edge of the bed which caused Buud to spring to his feet and leap to the floor. Well, guess who didn’t jump off the bed. Precious stopped just short of the edge, turned around and took over Buud’s position between my legs.
I think I saw her smile.
Bad water
Sometimes, in the heat of summer, water evaporates from the swimming pool and we have to add some. When turned on, the water squirts from a pipe imbedded in the pool deck and makes a constant splash when it hits the surface of the pool. Well this drives the pups crazy. It actually drives Buud crazy and he passes crazy along to Precious. There must be something bad about this, so Buud and Precious go into their “Protect the Family” mode.
Buud is afraid of the water so he stands behind Precious and barks her on. Precious, our brave child, attacks the water while Buud barks. She bites the stream and tries to pull it out of the pool so it won’t hurt us. Within a minute the deck is all wet from her brave attack and Buud, who won’t go near the evil water, is all wet.
Buud runs to me to let me know that I’m safe and jumps to my lap to explain. Now I’m all wet. He jumps down and runs to where Precious is still at war with the stream of water, barks some more, wets his feet some more and runs back to my lap for an update.
So as not to disturb the neighbors with the barking, Maw Maw turns off the water and Buud one final time leaps to my lap, wet feet and all, to receive his praise for saving our family.
The neighborhood terrors
Buud and Precious at the gate waiting to terrorize the next passers-by
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, Buud, Dog pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, tiny frog
I saw it first. Buud was distracted by Precious and Mouse (Robin’s dog) and didn’t notice this tiny little creature sitting behind the railing to the pool steps. It was the cutest, tiniest frog you will ever see. I was just hoping he would stay put and not attract the attention of the great hunters of the family. For a few minutes all was fine; I thought he must have realized the danger of drawing attention to himself. But then he started off, hopping toward the house. I prayed Buud wouldn’t notice. Surely, as small as he is, he’ll be able to make it to his destination undetected.
Well that was not to be. On his third hop Buud saw him from ten feet away and was on him in a matter of seconds. He trapped him with his foot but he got away. Buud jumped on him again and caught him in his mouth. I just knew the little frog was a goner. Buud looked up at me like there was nothing going on but when he put his nose to the ground the frog got out of his mouth and took off again. Buud had been holding this live frog in his mouth without hurting it. Can you imagine having a live frog running around in your mouth and you displaying no change of expression? To look at Buud you would never guess that he had the frog in his mouth.
When the little frog got free from Buud’s mouth, he didn’t get far, maybe a couple of inches, before Buud scooped him up again. The game now was to catch him in his mouth and let him go so he could catch him again. The little creature must have been scared to death. I tried to intervene by placing my wheelchair between Buud and the frog but Buud just went under my chair to get at him. I was no help at all; all I could do was watch.
This went on for a while. Buud would release his little play thing and then catch it again. But one time when he put it down it didn’t run off. It didn’t move. Buud nudged it with his nose but there was no response. He carefully pushed it with his paw but he couldn’t get his little friend to move. I think he finally realized something had changed and his little playmate wasn’t going to play anymore, because he stopped trying to get him to move. He looked so sad, lying down on the ground next to his friend just watching to see if he would want to play again.
He didn’t want to hurt him, he just wanted to play.
Buud and his frog
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, Buud, Dog pet, Dog Treat, drowning, God, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, Swimming pool
Buud and Precious
I’m frequently asked if Buud likes the newest addition to our family, Precious. The question is do they get along and is Buud ok with bringing someone new into his domain. My answer is a quick, “He loves Precious!”
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But here’s the full answer:
- Buud wants to be boss. When MawMaw lets them out to the yard he has to be the first out of the door, trampling Precious or anything in his way.
- He pulls her tail to get her attention.
- When the two of them get treats, Buud eats his in a gulp and then takes hers.
- When going to the dog park Buud won’t let Precious wear a bandanna. All Bandannas are his.
- When I pet Precious, Buud pushes her out of the way and puts his head under my hand.
- When Precious lies next to me in bed, Buud springs to action, wiggling his way between the two of us to stop her from taking his prime position.
- When I sing to Precious she wags her tail. If Buud notices our interaction he immediately runs to her, stops the tail wagging, and then returns to whatever he was doing.
“And now for the rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey would say.
- At the dog park Buud sticks by her side, leading her around as to proudly introduce her to all his friends.
- Buud shares his toys with Precious. Often when she is sleeping he brings one of his favorite toys to her, places it near her and, without waking her, he pushes it under her neck. He then quietly returns to his position on the sofa. A true gift! I think the nicest of gifts are those given anonymously.
- Buud brings her their rope toy and puts one end in her mouth so they can play tug-of-war together. That’s her favorite game and she often brings the rope toy to him.
- When Precious fell into the pool, Buud was scared and lead us to her to save her life.
- When MawMaw and I eat Yogurt we save a little for the pups. Buud eats some and shares the rest with Precious.
- Precious gets all the kisses. Buud doesn’t kiss me but he kisses her.
- When Precious sleeps, Buud cuddles up next to her and lays his head on her side. He doesn’t sleep; he just wants to be near her.
Yes, I think Buud does loves Precious.
Buud and Precious Together
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, barking, Buud, Dog pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Waiting for someone to scare
Their favorite area of the yard is the driveway. They have a long path to run and, while they can see the world going by through the gate, it’s secure and they can’t get out. We live on a busy corner with adults, children and pets passing all day. Both Precious and Buud sit at the driveway gate waiting for an opportunity to terrorize passes-by. What great sport! They wait for pedestrians to pass on the sidewalk and just as they get near enough to be startled, Buud and Precious begin to bark. As ferocious as they look and sound, no-one seems the least bit scared. Most people stop and talk to them, which absolutely ruins the barking mood.
As the passers-by disappear down the sidewalk, along the fence, Buud and Precious run to the other end of the driveway to continue their intimidation. At that end of the driveway they have no view of the people on the sidewalk even though they are walking only a foot or two away, so the pups can only accost the people by pushing their noses under the bottom of the fence in a viscous posture, and remind everyone that their challenge is not over.
We'll scare them with this!
Now for the ultimate in disrespect! Frequently the subjects of the pup’s aggression, noticing the intimidating protrusions under the fence, will bend over and pet each dog on the nose.
How patronizing!
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, Angels, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, Buud, Dog Day Afternoon, Dog pet, Dog Treat, drowning, God, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, Swimmomg pool
Our Sweet Precious
Last week we had a visit from Glenda and Mia. Glenda is one of our almost daughters and Mia, her adorable little girl who is about three years old. They stop by frequently to visit after Mia finishes school for the day. Glenda tells us that Mia really comes to visit Buud and Precious as she truly loves them. We sit in the den, they do tricks and Mia rewards them with special treats, French fries from Burger King. For Buud and precious, there is nothing better.
This day, however, was a little different. It was the first warm afternoon in a while and Glenda suggested they go out on the patio so Mia could eat her fries in the sunshine. Maw Maw followed them to the back door to let them out and to check to make sure everything was in order. Buud and Precious were already out in the back yard and Buud met Maw Maw at the door. “Hi Buud!”Maw Maw said. “Where’s your sister. Where’s Precious?” “Buud took off running to the far end of the yard and stopped at the deep end of the pool. Then Maw Maw saw it, something large and black floating in the water. She knew immediately what it was. Our sweet little Precious had fallen into the water and couldn’t get out.
She was floating totally still. Maw Maw ran to the far end of the pool where Precious was floating, afraid to look down, but when she did, Precious’s eyes were looking back up at her. Precious was floating there motionless with one paw hanging onto the deck of the pool. She had obviously fallen in and wasn’t able to pull herself out. She was tired but still hung on with one paw.
Maw Maw pulled her from the water and carried her inside, hugging her the whole way. When she told me the story, she prefaced it with, “She’s ok!” That helped but just the thought of what had happened brought tears to my eyes. It’s our job to protect her, she relies on us for everything, especially her security, and we failed her. I forced myself not to think of what almost happened and just petted her.
Do you believe in Angels? That morning I would have answered my question differently than I do now. Glenda and Mia have always been angels to us but not literally. Today, I don’t know. What brought Glenda and Mia to our home that day, and what caused them to ask to go out on the patio. They never do that. On their own those coincidences seem only normal but add in the exact right timing and it takes on a different light to me.
Our Angels saved our sweet little Precious and they saved us too.
Never again! When Precious and Buud go outside, we go with them or watch from the window.
They are both sleeping on the sofa now. We took them to the dog park and then to a festival for dogs called “Dog Day Afternoon”. They played hard and now they sleep. What a beautiful sight. Thank you God.
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, Buud, Dog pet, Dog Treat, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, St. Patrick's Parade
I hear music and people. “Hurry; let me go see what’s happening! I’m on the patio; open the door and let me in”, I barked to my daddy. “Oh, thanks, Daddy, the noise seems to be coming from the driveway. I’ll check it out and let you know. No, I don’t need the leash; I’m just going to stick my nose out and come right back.” Well I guess Daddy wants to check it out with me. I’m getting my collar and leash anyway.
We head for the back door which is already open. That’s unusual; we always keep that door closed. Look, the driveway gate is open too and the driveway is full of people all dressed in green. Some have funny hats, there’s someone with green hair, and a little girl with a pink tutu. This can’t be good. “Wait, Daddy, don’t go out there”, I barked. Oh well, Daddy doesn’t listen.
Whatever’s happening, they’ve already got Uncle Lou and he’s burning something on the barbeque pit. Oh look, there’s Uncle Boyd and Big Dave. They look calm so maybe this is ok. There’s Miss Merce, Miss May and Miss Marlene. I see Kenzie, Sandy, Melissa and my sister BooBoo. I wonder if they are alright. They have the green too. Hay, there’s Walker… This must be something good.
Oh boy, there’s a table full of food. “Come over here Daddy; let’s see what’s on that table.” There are lots of people around the food, I’ll try looking cute and see if I can coax someone to give me a bite.
Ian, the Lion Man
Daddy’s headed for the street. There’s a crowd out there, more people dressed in funny outfits and all green. “Look, there’s a small person with a lion’s head. Don’t go there, Daddy! It might bite.” Daddy just waved at the lion man and called him Ian. Could that be Big Dave’s and Miss Kelli’s boy Ian? Sure thing! Would you look at that? Ian’s face is all painted like a lion. “Sorry I barked at you, Ian.”
Oh, someone is in trouble; I hear sirens. I hope no one is hurt. The street is lined with people and the crowd is several rows thick. I can’t see what’s going on but it sounds like police motorcycles making their way down the street, through the crowd. “Move everyone, they must be trying to get somewhere to help someone”, I barked. No one’s listening to me. Let me see what’s happening. I’m going to wiggle my way through the crowd, around those chairs and through these legs as far as my leash will let me. I’m at the curb and there it is, a sight I thought I’d never see in this neighborhood.
Daddy and Me
The police are trying to help a group of men who were having trouble walking. You can always count on the police to do nice things like that. These poor men are struggling to make it down the street and they are all dressed up in green. They can’t seem to walk in a straight line. “Help him”. I shouted at the top of my lungs. “He’s about to fall!” Just as the man stumbled, a nice lady caught him. Now isn’t that sweet? He’s kissing her and is giving her a flower for helping him.
Oh. No! It’s not just men who are afflicted. Here comes a bunch of ladies with what looks like the same problem. It must be something that’s going around. Those are “Shady Ladies”, Daddy said to me. That’s a terrible thing to say about people with such an obvious problem, I thought. I’m surprised to hear my daddy say such a thing. I feel so sorry for these nice ladies. They are all dressed alike, all in green with short shiny skirts. Oh, no, there’s one who’s a too big for her little outfit. They’re staggering into the crowd and it looks like they’re making fun of those poor men that just passed. These ladies are kissing everyone and giving people flowers for doing absolutely nothing. That’s disgusting. Oh oh, one’s coming over to us. I’ll turn around and maybe she’ll pass us up. Well, you would know, Daddy is too slow. When I turned back around, Daddy had a flower. I just know he let her kiss him. I’m glad I didn’t see that.
“Here comes a float” someone yelled. I turn my head to see and spotted the most amazing thing. It’s something huge and it’s being pulled down the street by a tractor. What a colorful thing, and it’s all glittery. People dressed in green costumes were standing all over it, way up in the air, above me and the crowd. What are those people are doing, I wonder. They seem to be distributing items to the crowd. Everyone lining the street is shouting and reaching out for the supplies that the float people are giving out. I can easily tell who’s doing well these days and those who aren’t. It makes me a little sad watching some people being rewarded with jewels and some begging for food. I don’t think I’ll watch any more of this.
Haley and Me
“Come on, Daddy”, I barked. “Let’s go see this little girl over here.” I pull daddy and he follows. I sit in front of a cute little girl I had seen earlier wearing a pink tutu. I’m going to give her my paw and see if her parents have taught her to shake hands. What a smart little girl. She knows how and at such a young age. We pet for a little while, my daddy tells her my name is Buud and she looks at me and says “My name is Haylie.” I see someone else I know down the sidewalk and have to move on but first I pose for a few pictures and give my new friend Haley a kiss.
I think it’s Caroline, Walker’s sister. It sure is, and she knows how to shake hands. I run to her, sit and offer her my paw. She seems happy to see me, takes my paw and gives me a good petting. Daddy gives Caroline a couple of my treats and she feeds them to me. I really love treats and the people who give them to me.
Daddy’s telling me that this is the St. Patrick’s parade and that it will be passing our house all day. I’m already tired from all the excitement and if I’m going to see it all I’ll have to rest. I think I’ll say hi to Aunt Kathy and then sit down for a while.
Oh, there’s another dog, a pit bull, I think. “Arf arf arf!” I shouted. He seems nice but I need to inform him that he’s sitting on my lawn. “Woof, Woof” he responds. Wow, I didn’t expect that. Oh well, he’s kind of big; maybe we can share the lawn. I think I’ll lie down just a few feet away, far enough as not to have any more confrontations, but close enough so it looks like I’m still in charge of my own home. He seems like such a nice dog but I need to maintain a little respect.
The parade is over now and I start for the house, but daddy stops me. “Let’s sit out here for a while and watch the crowd.” he says. I see MawMaw coming with Precious on a leash.” I think that’s a good idea, Daddy”, I barked. Precious gives me a kiss and we all sit down and rest.
Here comes two dogs walking down the sidewalk pulling someone. They are both well-to-do. I can tell because they are adorned with jewels around their necks. Arf, arf, arf”, I bark. Woof woof, woof”, shouts Precious. I dart at the dogs, knowing my leash will safely stop me before I can reach them and Daddy shouts, “Buud, behave.” I just love doing that.
The sun is going down, the street cleaners are passing and daddy is taking me inside. My collar and leash are off and I retreat to my crate to rest a little and stay clear of all the activity still going on in the den. I lay my head on the padding of the liner in my crate and reflect on all the wonders of the day, green hats and hair, giant, colorful floats, loud music, little girl in a pink tutu, jewels for the people, cabbages, potatoes and carrots for the poor, hand shaking and petting. This was a fun day.
Daddy’s asking me something. “Look Buud; look what I caught at the parade. It’s a bag of tiny carrots. You like carrots, don’t you?” I do like carrots but I think I’m a little too….ZZZZZZZZZ
Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. dog toy, animal shelter, Buud, Dog pet, Dog Treat, God Love, Precious, Rescue dog, selfless love, Shelter dog
Precious With Buud's Toy
God made these two little creatures and filled them with love. It’s a joy watching them express it.
Buud has an interesting attachment to everything that is his. He loves the things we give him. He plays with his toys, knows where we keep his treats and wears his colorful bandannas with pride. He is so possessive of these things that you wouldn’t expect him to share them easily.
Last night as Precious slept on her bed in the corner of the den, Buud came to her and carefully placed one of his favorite toys between her paws. Trying not to wake her, he used his nose to gently push the toy under her chin. Then, without a sound he returned to his place on the sofa.
What a perfect example of selfless love! Without anticipation of reward, with no agenda other than to make her happy, he demonstrated true kindness. Precious was sound asleep. She didn’t even know he had done this. The finest gifts are ones given anonymously but, of course, Buud didn’t know that. It just came naturally.
It nearly brought tears to my eyes and it made me proud. There is so much that we can learn from our pets and Maw Maw and I are grateful that they are here to teach us.
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. animal shelter, Buud, Dog Treat, Milk-Bone, pet, Precious, Pup-Peroni, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Waiting For Treats
Buud and Precious are so smart that we have to be very careful what we say in front of them. For example, if we mention Milk-Bones or Pup-Peroni or Treats, their ears pop up and they stop whatever they are doing and run to us to receive something tasty. This works to our advantage when we want them to do something in particular like go outside, or go to their crate, but there are times when a response from our pups is not intended. We may be discussing whether or not we should give them a treat. That’s when we find ourselves spelling T-R-E-A-T or C-O-O-K-I-E.
Well, that worked for a while but soon they learned to spell. Being the superior beings that Maw Maw and I are, however, we have figured a way around that too. We now misspell the words we don’t want them to recognize.
Ha Ha! We didn’t just fall off a turnip truck, you know. Our parents didn’t send us to school just to eat our lunch. We are smarter than our dogs.
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. animal shelter, Buud, dog psychoanalyzed, pet, psychoanalyze, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Aunt Lil meets Buud
Aunt Lil, Maxine’s sister, came for a visit. She lives in San Diego, is one of our favorite relatives and comes for all major events at our house. We all, including the pups, look forward to her visits as she is so young at heart and full of fun and humor. Only one problem! Aunt Lil is a psychotherapist. There’s no outward indication to this, but being a psychologist, you just know she must be analyzing every move you make. Don’t you just hate that! She’s never mentioned it but our home is a little on the goofy side so, with her knowledge of behavior, she must have lots of thoughts that she kindly keeps to herself.
Well, Buud didn’t have the advantage of all this information when Aunt Lil came last so he just acted like his usual self when he greeted her. Buud and Aunt Lil were meeting for the first time so Buud, as usual, demonstrated how happy he was to meet her. Buud was excited and Lil responded in kind. This looked to be the start of a great friendship.
Then it happened. Aunt Lil exclaimed, “I think Buud might need a little Ritalin.” Ritalin, that’s a medication given to people with ADHD. Now, the rest of us might have ADHD but certainly not Buud!
Don’t you just hate that, Buud?
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, animal rescue. Give me your paw, animal shelter, Buud, pet, Rescue dog, shake hands, Shelter dog
Good friends shaking hands
Little people have an advantage over big ones in our home. Buud likes them the best. I guess he can relate better to someone with whom he can see eye-to-eye. Most of us older folks are just not the right size.
Buud has a special friend, Mia, who is the beautiful child of one of our adopted daughters, Glenda. Mia loves to visit Buud as she is always the center of his attention. Glenda tells that she can’t pass our house without Mia insisting they stop to see Buud.
Mia and Buud have a special connection and particularly like practicing Buud’s tricks. Mia, however, is a pushover. Buud will do half a trick and Mia gives him a treat. By the time Buud makes it through his entire routine he’s full, happy and even more attached to Mia.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sweeter sight than Mia asking for Buud’s paw and he looking to her eyes and reaching for her outstretched hand.
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, Alpha Dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, Melissa, pet, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Buud's new best friend, Melissa
During Katrina (pre Buud and Precious) we stayed in Houston and visited with Melissa frequently. Melissa is one of our daughters. She is the most organized person you’ll ever meet. All things in her life seem to be in perfect order and she does everything we wish we had time to do if only we could get our act together like Melissa. Her home is a reflection of her attention to detail. It is as neat as a pin, nicely decorated and projects Melissa’s warm, friendly nature.
Maw Maw says Melissa has always been sweet to little animals. She would pick up strays and find homes for them but she wouldn’t keep them. No time for them, maybe, but just as likely, they wouldn’t fit into the order of her life. She loves animals but I don’t think I could picture a dog sitting on a sofa in Melissa’s home, or chew toys all over the floor. If you knew all the things Melissa does you’d know that there is no time left to attend to a pet.
Even though Melissa lives in Houston, she comes home to New Orleans for every occasion, Thanks Giving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, weddings, etc. My story here is about a happening on her most recent visit.
We were all sitting in the den, talking and laughing, when both Maw Maw and I notice some special interaction between Melissa and Buud. It started with Buud’s favorite toy, a large, fabric Frisbee. Buud had toys all over the floor and Melissa had none so he brought his prize possession to her and laid it on her lap. Melissa, thinking he wanted to play, threw the Frisbee across the room for him to fetch. Buud took off, feet moving twice as fast as his body, as the wooden floor offers little traction to get started or stopping, for that matter. He slid halfway to the toy and started his feet going in reverse even before he reached it. He picked it up and in two seconds the Frisbee was back on Melissa’s lap. Melissa continued with her conversation but threw the Frisbee for Buud every time he brought it to her. Buud had a ball and must have repeated his retrieval twenty or so times.
When he tired, guess where he went to rest. He jumped on the sofa and stretched out right at Melissa’s side with his head on her lap. His big, adoring eyes were trained on her face as she talked. All through her conversation with us she rubbed Buud’s head and ears.
The next thing we noticed, Buud had climbed to the top of the sofa pillows, crawled behind Melissa and tucked his head around her neck and rested it on her shoulder. Then it happened! He kissed her on the cheek. Now, as I said, Melissa loves animal and petting is appropriate but licking on the face, well…
To our surprise, she didn’t stop him, but just continued with her participation in the group discussion. I think there was some magic here.
When it came time for Melissa to leave, as she rose from the sofa and had to move from her amorous friend, she kissed him good bye and exclaimed, “Awe, Buud looks like he’s going to miss me when I’m gone.”
When everyone left and the den was quiet again, Maw Maw and I compared our observation and both of us agree that Buud would probably be welcome in Melissa’s home, toys and all.
If you haven’t experienced the love of a dog, your soul is missing a great joy.
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, Alpha Dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, pet, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog
Precious "I get no respect!"
Precious knows her place.
Buud was here first and he seems to be the boss. Precious clears all her activities with Buud first or she gets reprimanded. If Buud is not around she will come snuggle with Maw Maw or me but when Buud appears she moves to make way for the king.
Yesterday I saw Precious laying on their new bed which is in the corner of the den so I sang her a song with her name in it. She immediately started wagging her tail and looking at me. Buud quickly recognized our interaction as a situation that needed correcting so he jumped off the sofa, ran over and pounced on her. She stopped wagging and Buud returned to the sofa.
It kind of makes me sad but Precious doesn’t seem to mind. She just accepts it.
Hey, I’ve got your toy!
Precious has a little devil in her too. It’s not always Buud who starts things around here. Buud seems to have the most energy, is in constant motion and is all over Precious, wanting her to rough-hose with him. She’s always happy to accommodate, but it’s not always he who starts it. She frequently brings him their rope toy so they can play tug-of-war. He’s always up for that.
Last night she had Maw Maw and me in stiches. Buud was on the sofa chewing on his favorite toy which is a large, fabric Frisbee. He got momentarily distracted and Precious reached up and took it right from under his nose. She paraded it up and down the den floor in front of him, and you could almost hear her sing, Na, Na, Na, Na, I’ve got your toy and you don’t. Of course, Buud sprang into action and the rough-housing began. Kids will be kids!
Move over, that’s my place!
When I’m in my wheelchair Buud loves to sit on my lap. With the slightest encouragement he will leap to my legs and sit on me facing front looking much like the masthead on an ancient sailing ship. He loves that position. It’s as if he’s showing off that I belong to him and no one else. Precious isn’t allowed to do that, not because she is twice his size, but because that’s his spot.
Now, when I’m in bed it’s a different story. They compete for position. Precious will lay at my side, pressing against my hip, leaving no space for her brother to inject himself into our contact. Do you think that stops my little boy? No way! He attacks from the rear, wedging his nose between Precious and me until he’s got this prime spot. It’s not that he really wants to lie there himself, he just doesn’t want her to be touching me. He feels that he’s saving me from her advances. I think he may be a little jealous.
Where is my paper?
I went to the doctor last week and along with his assurance that I am very well, he gave me another appointment for six months from now and a form to use for a blood test that I should get just before our next meeting. We usually keep things such as this form in a red folder and file it so we can find it months down the line, but this time we forgot. Well, we forgot to put it in the folder immediately. We did remember it the next day, but as usual, it was nowhere to be found. It seems like we’re always looking for things that we misplaced or, even worse, put in a safe place. A “safe place” in our home is somewhere you would never think to look. This always makes it difficult to find important things, but I guess it does make them safe.
Maw Maw looked all over the house for our blood test form, but with no luck. Guess where we found it. Of course, it was in Buud’s stash behind the sofa. We didn’t know whether to scold our little boy or just add his pile of goodies behind the sofa to our list of safe places.
Hidden petting hand?
My latest trick is to hide my hands under the blanket when Buud and Precious come to see me early in the morning when I’m still in bed. Each one goes digging, trying to find a hand for a petting. It’s a race to see who can find a hand first. If Buud finds it first, Precious gives up and takes up her position at my feet, but If Precious is first to my hand, Buud sticks his nose between my hand and her head to take over the petting. Buud’s still the boss.
Gosh, I love our kids.
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: a third eye, adopt a dog, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, Déjà vu, Dream Dog, ESP, Jedderson Feed Pet and Garden Center, omens, pet, psychic phenomenon, Shelter dog, SPCA, visions
Dream Dog
Do you believe in psychic things like ESP, visions, Déjà vu, omens, a third eye? I’m sure there is something to these things for some people, but I’m kind of oblivious to it all. When presented with an instance of a psychic phenomenon, I always first look for a simple coincidence. I guess, I’m just not a believer but I admit there is some evidence contrary to my lack of credence.
Here is the true story of my dog and me. Read it and you decide.
Twenty-five years ago, give or take a few, a little dog began appearing in my dreams. He was a scruffy little fellow, brindle in color with hair growing in every direction. He had perfectly symmetrical marking with beige legs, a soft, white face and a beard under his chin. He could almost speak to me as his big black eyes were so full of expression. His bushy eyebrows went up and down with his eye movements and with every change of thought. His gaze was almost human and his eyebrows kind or reminded me of Andy Rooney of “60 Minutes”. He was small, only about a foot high, and very active. He followed me everywhere, to work, to the grocery, everywhere. When I would get into the car, he would jump in the back seat and sit erect, so I could see him in the rear-view mirror.
I have no recollection of buying or adopting him and I don’t remember him ever having a name, but he was definitely my dog. I guess my dreams were always some sort of story or adventure and although he was usually there with me, he really wasn’t the primary focus. He was just there.
I remember dreams where I was watching TV. This little fellow would rest his head on my leg and watch with me. What I really remember is the way his eyes would scan the action with his eyebrows in constant motion. He seemed to be such a good friend of mine.
Another recollection is a trip to the grocery store. He rode to the store in the back seat of my station wagon and when I got out, he followed me. He somehow knew that he wasn’t welcome inside the store so he waited at the door for me to finish my shopping. When I returned he was there sitting in the doorway watching everyone who passed and looking around the legs and buggies to try to find me. What a precious sight. Of course, this was just a dream, but if this were real life, someone would have grabbed him and taken him home. Well, I guess they would if they could catch him.
The night before we adopted Buud, I had a dream of this little pup where someone tried to catch him. I had taken a walk, actually a roll, to the drug store and he came along with me. He waited for me in front of the store and when I returned I saw a young girl playing with him. She was trying to catch him, but every time she leaned over to grab him, in the wink of an eye, he was behind her with his front legs on the ground, his back end in the air, tail wagging, ready for her next move. He was quicker than even the youngest of people.
Now, let me tell you what is really real, not a dream.
Maw Maw and I saw an ad on TV about a group of dogs that were being offered for adoption by the SPCA. We had a slight interest in owning a dog but our schedules were so busy that we gave adoption or even purchasing a dog little thought. It couldn’t hurt to go to the event and just look at the dogs, we thought, so off we went. It was at Jefferson Feed, Pet and Garden Center, which is near our home and a place known to be very active in rescuing and placing homeless animals of all types. We got there an hour and a half after the start of the event, and were immediately greeted with the news that all forty of the dogs were adopted. An interesting note is that all the dogs had been rescued from one abuse situation. How proud they seemed as placing all forty dogs was quite an accomplishment. It was obvious to Maw Maw, and me, however, why they had such a great success; all the digs seemed to be full bread. We saw Chihuahua’s, Labs, Dachshunds, Shih Tzu’s, Beagles and more. Their new owners seemed so pleased. Children were sitting on the floor playing with their new family members, some owners were walking their new friends for the first time and some were still filling out papers. What a happy experience!
Maxine went off to look at the cages along then wall where they had a few cats for adoption, and I continued to wander in my wheelchair through the crown of pets and happy owners. I stopped to speak to an elderly woman who had just adopted a Chihuahua when a lady touched me on the shoulder. She inquired if I had gotten a dog. She had no indication on her that she was with the SPCA or Jefferson Feed so I informed her that, no, I didn’t get one and that all the dogs were already adopted. She immediately responded that “This little dog wasn’t adopted” and she put a scruffy little guy in my lap. I could hardly respond to her as I was speechless and breathless. This was the little dog of my dreams, the exact dog. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What a coincidence!
I asked the lady to hold him for me as I had to have him and that I needed to find Maw Maw to ask if she thought it would be ok to adopt him. I rushed through the crowd and when I couldn’t find her, I began calling her name, “Maxine Maxine”. She heard me and came to see what the matter was. I told her about this little dog and insisted that she come see him. When we found the lady holding our dog Maw Maw told me that she had noticed him but since he was with someone who didn’t seem to be an employee or a volunteer, the little dog with her must have been one that she adopted. Maw Maw, who knew nothing about the dog in my dreams, immediately agreed that we should have him.
Now what are the chances of finding the exact dog that for so long has been with me in my dreams, the “exact dog”? And, how was he still available one and a half hours after the start of the adoption event where all the other forty dogs were spoken for? You would have to have seen this for yourself to understand…this was the cutest dog there. Why was he not adopted first? It’s a mystery to me.
We quickly filled out the papers for the SPCA, paid the small fee for his shots and neutering, and took him through the crowd to show him off. We named him Buud which is kind of southern for Bud.
I was certainly impressed with Buud but I don’t think he was so impressed with me. You see, I recognized him from my dreams but he obviously didn’t have similar dreams of me, so I was just someone new. At least that is what I thought.
Now, let me tell you something odd that happened when Buud came home with us for the first time. I know that my dreams were just dreams, and that this is all just a coincidence but Buud did something when we got home that gave me pause to consider some other explanation. He came to me, put his paws on my lap, tucked his nose under my hand and lifted it onto his head so that I could pet him. You see, I have Muscular Dystrophy and can’t reach out to pet him. It was obvious to me that he already knew my limitations and he knew exactly what to do to overcome them. I couldn’t reach his head to pet him so he did it for me. How did he know? This was his first interaction with me. He had no time to learn about me, but he already knew. Could this be just another coincidence? Could I be wrong about these things? Could my dreams really have some meaning, or is what is happening right now really the dream?
I wonder!
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: Adopt, animal rescue, animal shelter, Buud, pet, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, Uncle Jerry
Buud and Uncle Jerry
My boy Buud is an affectionate little guy. He’s always coming to me to be petted but he’s not much for kissing. In fact, I don’t remember him kissing me at all. He’ll run up to me and bump me with his nose, but no kisses.
Well, along comes Uncle Jerry. He stopped by for a visit this week and when Buud realized it was him at the front door he went nuts. As soon as we cracked open the door Buud leaped to Jerry’s arms and started kissing him all over the face. It was a disgusting display. What about me? I’m not chopped liver, you know!
It must be Uncle Jerry’s after-shave!
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Filed under: Stories | Tags: adopt a dog, Buud, Christmas, dog kiss, Precious, Rescue dog, Shelter dog, Sibling Rivalry
Buud and Precious on their new bed
As I mentioned earlier, Buud and Precious get along beautifully. They play together like two kids, sometimes a little too rough for us older parents. Buud loves Precious but we think he’d prefer that we didn’t love her so much.
When I pet Precious, Buud always gets his head under my hand so that he’s the one being petted. When Maw Maw lets them in from their early morning constitutional, Buud rushes to the bedroom door and stands guard, protecting me from the indignity of being kissed by a girl dog.
Well, yesterday, she got the jump on her smaller, faster and a little jealous brother. When Maw Maw opened the back door to let them in, I could hear them coming. It sounded like the Calvary.
This time Precious had the lead. They rounded the corner from the den to the bedroom with Precious out in front. Buud, trying his best to win the race, slipped and slammed into the closets door as he tried to make the turn. Precious made it to my bed first and leaped to my side. She put her paws on my shoulder and kissed me all over the face. She then turned to look for Buud who was still on the floor, looking up in astonishment. I think Precious smiled at him.
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