Remembering Buddy. Our dog’s passing, leaves good memories, emptiness | Along The Way

Our dog, Buddy, was put down the day after Christmas.

A pit bull with a mouth shaped like an alligator’s that put some people off, Buddy, had been a member of our family for nearly six years.  He came to us because our son, Chris, who had taken Buddy in as a rescue dog in 2015, was moving from North Carolina to California and was unable to take Buddy with him.

Some pit bulls are trained to be fighters, so they have an unsavory reputation. Buddy was a lover not a fighter.  Standing about two feet, six inches tall with his coat of light brown, short hair and big dark eyes, Buddy, not a barker, would walk up to a stranger and seek his affection.  If the stranger would pet him, Buddy would smile and reward the stranger with a big, wet lick, a contact not everyone appreciated.   If you were sitting and watching television, Buddy would find you, crawl up and snuggle.

He was not the most intelligent dog I have ever been around, but he was certainly the most affectionate. Our son, Chris, worked outside his home a lot, so he had kept Buddy in a cage during the day.  We put Buddy into his cage only when we had company. Once during a dinner party, I kept hearing a strange noise upstairs where Buddy was caged. I went upstairs after the guests had left and found Buddy crying.

That dog cage went into the trash that night, never to return.  Buddy gained the run of the house. If we had to confine him at times, we would put him in our bedroom with water and a light snack. Afterward, we would usually find Buddy relaxing on our bed, having crawled up a set of steps Janet had placed at the bedside. If Janet and I were traveling, our friend Kim Christenson, who loves dogs, stayed with Buddy, and treated him with kindness.

I spoiled Buddy.  He got his exercise on The Portage Hike and Bike Trail, but I would reward him with all sorts of snacks. Eventually, Dr. Heather Wood, our veterinarian, told us Buddy was way overweight and would have to go on a diet. Buddy, who was all about food, did not like that. I was running an errand by car to Walgreens one evening. Buddy escaped my grasp and headed for the drugstore whose automatic doors opened.  Buddy went in and found a counter with York candies and helped himself.

That story got around and the late Larry Shaffer, an Akron businessman whom we had gotten to know at Kent State sports and musical events, had a good chuckle over it.  When he and his wife, Peggy, were at our home for a Kent State related event, Larry struck up a conversation with Buddy and the two quickly bonded. As Larry and Peggy were leaving, Buddy followed them to their car and jumped in.

Old age started catching up with Buddy about three years ago when he was already nearly 13 years old.  Cataracts began to impair his vision.  Where Buddy had once enjoyed plying the trails at Towner’s Woods, he began to prefer the security of staying on the paved trail. As his energies declined, the walks grew shorter. Despite poor vision and less energy, he always enjoyed encountering walkers and bicyclers on the trail, many of whom would stop and pet Buddy who delighted in their attentions. Because we were almost daily at Towner’s Woods or at Beckwith’s Landing, it was not uncommon for some people to recognize Buddy, call him by name and briefly give him their attention.

Last August at the edge of the Towner’s Wood parking lot, Buddy, who never lost his love of food, and I were arguing over an old bone he had scrounged up and held in his teeth.  While I was pulling, Buddy’s eyes closed.  He collapsed and quit breathing. I thought he had died, but then, his eyes opened. He started breathing and walked to the car.

Dr. Wood told us it was a sign the end was near.  She prescribed diuretics and other medicines and Janet, ever patient, included them in Buddy’s dinners which she hyped up with pieces of baked chicken.  Diuretics caused Buddy to wet if not let out nearly every two hours.

Janet, incredibly kind and patient, would clean it up. I would help, but Janet bore the burden of preparing Buddy’s dinners and scheduling his assorted medicines.  During our short walks the last two weeks, Buddy began losing control of his back legs.

The Thursday before Christmas, Buddy, Janet, and I visited Dr. Wood whose friendly manner always caused Buddy to perk up.  After an examination, she told us Buddy’s kidneys were failing.  She added some other pills to his diet hoping they might work.  Buddy continued to decline.  He could not digest his food and started having diarrhea. Finally, he lost interest in food.

We got through Christmas Day, Buddy mostly lying around quiet, but clearly not comfortable. The next morning, Janet, and I, with our sons, Chris, and Tim, plus our daughter-in-law, Chelsea, took Buddy to see Dr. Wood, who told us it was time. We all had the opportunity to say good-bye and Dr. Wood, who genuinely liked Buddy, and her kind staff, shared in our grief.  Our dog-sitting friend, Kim Christensen, stopped by our home and we choked back tears.

Our boys have left for their own homes now and except for Janet’s sister, Jeannie, who has been with us over the holidays, the house feels empty.  My pal George Rose had warned me a couple of weeks ago that Buddy’s end would be hard. George was right. Janet tells me we need a break from dogs.  We have lots of Buddy’s soiling and shedding to clean up. Still, a dear member of our family is gone and there is not a corner in the house that Janet and I pass by and do not feel Buddy’s friendly presence.

David E. Dix is a retired publisher of the Record-Courier.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Remembering Buddy. Passing of David Dix's dog leaves good memories