When my dad passed on last year, We kind of took over his only pet and best friend, Buddy the Staffie.
Buddy, never belonged to my father, as a puppy , he belonged to Elizabeth.....
Buddy enjoyed going on walks around the town, and through some strange twist of fate, wandered into Jock's home....
Jock loved animals, always keen to pick up any stray, even inviting the odd Gemsbok into his yard for a wee drink....
Jock spoilt Buddie, he ate well there over at the Scotsman's house.... He knew what side of the bread his butter was on..... Needless to say, when his true owners came to take him home, he would escape and find his way back to Jock's abode.
Eventually , Elizabeth's father gave up trying to bring Buddy the dog home......and Buddy and my father became, friends...... best buddies.....
Buddy, liked to keep Jock's bed warm, Enjoyed the loud bagpipe music and was a true companion to my father..... Whilst he was alive, my father never left town, except to go to Bob Ferries funeral. It bothered him a lot, what would happen to Buddy the dog , if he died..... we never gave it much thought, as we all assumed that Buddie would move on to the big kennel in th sky , before Jock had to report to my mother at the big pub in the sky.....
Well as you know, Jock went to our mother unexpectedly last year, and we took Buddy in . We even got Stephen, my brother to bring around one of Jock's old chairs, so that Buddy could lie in it. He would still be able to smell his dear departed friend and master......
Well, we already had a dog, Shadow the invincible , well perhaps not invincible, but at the tender age of two, he and Buddy would clash, both being male, Shadow in his home with the old man now intruding...... They both worked well together at times, going to the beach with Shadow and Buddy the dog, was a blast, a symphony of howling and wailing..... a solid one hour of barking at the ocean.... the two of them had a blast.....
As the months rolled on, the memory of my father fading, Buddy got a bit older..... but one thing stood out..... Buddy was always ,meant to be a One man kinda dog...... he gets incredibly jealous if anyone spends any attention to Shadow...... at our last walk in the desert, I threw the frisbee for Shadow, Buddy tried to bounce Shadow out the way.... but Shadow being younger and bigger just ignored him, then when Buddy saw he was getting no joy from Shadow, he came running over to me and launched himself through the air onto my belly, scratching a painful gash down my side. At the same time that he was in the air, I reacted instinctively and shoved him away, he tumbled to the ground and got up and took a light grip of my ankle before releasing. I was furious.... what the hell was wrong with this dog? More so , what danger does he now present to my family, I went home, upset, adamant that on Monday, I would be phoning somebody to have him removed.....
When Monday came and I ventured outside, there was the old dog, having a good old back scratch on the lawn. He paused, those big brown eyes staring at me, I stared back, showing no emotion, I shook my head and went to work.... Well as the days went by, I could not summon the courage to make the phone call that I had to make, instead I started to ask people if anyone was interested in taking Buddy the dog of my hands...... to no avail, nobody was interested in an old one man dog.....
I know the time is fast approaching and that he will have to go...... but let me tell you that it is not so easy, Buddy is so happy to see us when we come home in the afternoon..... he is still loyal , but he was never our dog to keep....
Sometimes , I get angry that my father died and left me with Buddy the dog......
Because now, I am the one that has to destroy him.........
SO IF ANYONE OUT THERE WANTS AN OLD DOG OR HAS ADVICE....... go on.....give it....
(and yes, we have already covered the topic, are you going to wait until it attacks one of your kids or a friend's kid...... i know that part already!!!!!)
ThatStinks2
That is truly sad. I can understand your dilemma.
I also believe Buddy will be able to sense Uncle Jock's spirit and presence in you, Michele and the kids. So I would not be surprised that if you do get a new home for him, he might show up at your door unexpectedly as well, like he did with Uncle Jock.
Wish I had advice, or could take Buddy off your hands.
My animals are my kids, and I get very sad when they are suffering. My one dog was diagnosed with Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph glands) two weeks ago, and my favorite dogchild suddenly got a massive epileptic fit two days ago (her first ever), and ended up having 4 seizures in one day. I put her on meds yesterday morning, and fortunately it seems to be working, she hasn't had a fit in the last 40 hours.
Good luck, Mike. I really hope there's a solution which would be good for you as well as for Buddy!
16_1_231
Now you made me cry...I realy wish I could take him for you. I already have 2 dogs that are spoilt rotten. How old is Buddy? Is he just possessive of your relationship with Shadow or does that apply to the rest of the family as well. If its just you I doubt he'll just up and attack the family. He never intended to hurt you, rather was trying to show who's the boss.There are many sites that can help you deal with this behaviour and it can be corrected no matter how old the dog.If you not comfortable with it,I would rather,as awfull and sad that it is, let him go to your dad than re-home him where he doesn't want to be. I realy do feel for you as my dads cat died a year or so after him and I was so upset over that as it kind of made my dads death so final...if that makes any sense. xxx
Diana, I think you struck the nail on the head, perhaps it is going to make my father;s death final, hence my hesitation to make the call...
Nobody knows the correct age of Buddy the dog, estimates are around 13 or 14.....
bighug....considering Buddy's age its probably the best call you can make for him. As for yourself you'll know when the time is right to do that....you'll cry your eyes out but feel at peace with it.
Well, 48 hours ago, i booked Buddy into the local Kennels, we had just been to the beach, He enjoys this a lot..... Down at the beach, he tried to "nip" my hand, as I was paying to much attention to my own dog, ShaDOw .... that was the final straw.... I handed him over to Mutt down at the kennels...... Mutt, will have him around for a week, then he shall go to the big kennel in the SKY.... There is one chap, Martin that wants him and will send him to the North, to his smallholding, but only at the end of the month,
I however feel that I can no longer take the chance with his "nipping" with wee Kelvin around, it breaks my heart, i feel a great sense of guilt that I have let my father down by not looking after his dog.....
It is almost a year since my dad's passing, now Buddy will be heading that way, I take solace from the fact that I kept him for a year and that Mutt explained to me, that these dog's are usually put down, soon after their owners pass on.... they develop a streak in them , he reckons, become unpredictable....... so, I hang my head in shame, take a sip of my whisky and hope that the Big Scotsman in the Sky understands....
16_1_231 notfair
Sad, but can definitely understand how you're feeling.
Ouch !! not a nice story to read ,, but then Mike you ahve to think of your own ,,, just keep on persisting to find the home for him at least than you know you tried yur best ,, just do one favour if you are going to send him to the other side , at least be with him and comfort him as he exits and tell him who is waiting on the other side ... he will understand and go ...
I absolutely agree with Sandy...be with Buddy for him and yourself. bighug
Ooops! Just found out in a book that I was reading a, that animals are reincarnated... and they can be found in higher mansions.......
16_1_231