Not sure if I have mentioned it in a previous post or not, but we have a family dog named Buddy. A few weeks ago we realized, thanks to Facebook, that we have had him for 5 years. That should make him about 10 years old (or 53 in people years according to the calculator I found online.) He is slowing down but still so amazing and he truly loves his people.
Side Note: I’m starting to realize that my life is so much better now that we have the World Wide Web. How else would I find a calculator to convert dog years to human years? I find such interesting things that have calculators online. For all you cat people there is one that can convert their age to people years. (If Buddy was a cat he would be 56 in people years which is older than the conversion of a dog so he should be happy he is a dog!) There is a Death Date Calculator (yes that is morbid but good to know), Telephone Number Numerology Calculator (no idea what that means) and a Steak Calculator (because who really wants to eat a raw or overcooked steak?).
Buddy is a Jack Russell Terrier mixed with something else. Now if you know anything about Jack Russell’s then you know that they are very hyper. Lucky for us whatever else he is mixed with is related to a sloth or maybe a snail. So here is how he typically behaves when I get home in the evening. He barks as soon as he sees me, then once I walk in the door he is jumping up to greet me. In order to understand what this looks like you need to pull up a video of a salmon swimming upstream. He jumps and wiggles his bottom just like the fish do. Now comes the best part. As soon as I sit down he is right next to me and asleep in minutes. Now you might be thinking this is due to his age, but this is how he has always been. It takes a lot of energy to jump and shake his butt so he needs to rest after. He also needs a rest after he has come in from going potty, eaten his food, etc. His life is basically down to activity, sleep, activity, sleep. It is a very hard life he leads.
So at this point, I should explain why I call him a Wonder Dog. It is because for the entire time we have had him we have all been making up songs for him. My favorite and the one I sing the most is “Buddy the Wonder Dog. It’s no wonder he’s a dog. Because he doesn’t look like a frog. He’s Buddy the Wonder Dog!” He has never done anything heroic like a police or service dog, but the fact that he hasn’t run away yet and instead stays with us make him a wonder dog to me. My youngest (Aspie Girl) is the voice of Buddy. He has a deep voice that has a good amount of sarcasm laced in it. She loves to say “Hi my name is Bud! Do you have pepperoni?” If I reply with “No” she says “I know it’s in the refrigerator. You can’t fib to me.” So I end up getting him pepperoni and she gets some too. I know they are both scamming me, but it is so cute I can’t help but give in. My husband (Odin) says that once Buddy passes over the Rainbow Bridge we are not getting another dog unless it is a service dog for Aspie Girl. Neither of us wants anything to happen to Buddy because he is a member of our family. I truly think Odin says that because he will be very upset when it does inevitably happen and can’t imagine any dog being able to fill Buddy’s paws. (Neither can I)
Another Side Note: In regards to the Autism service dog (no a comfort animal will not work..I wish) for Aspie Girl. My hope is that I can get her service dog soon but I need to raise $15K-$20K in order to get her one. She desperately needs one but I really have no idea how to raise that amount of money. Her anxiety is so bad that she actually pulled apart a pair of leggings in school this week because she was nervous about gym class. She has also eaten up to an inch (yes 1”) off her hair and can’t go to stores because it overwhelms her so much. Her iPad and headphones are the only reason we can get her out of the house. This is the first year that she isn’t in any main-stream classes because her anxiety is so high. She also needs one because she wanders off which is why we hold hands everywhere. The issue is that at her age she thinks it isn’t cool to hold my hand which causes a safety risk. If you have any ideas of how to get her one please let me know.
Buddy has a new job in the family. He is the protector of my granddaughter (Itty Bitty). When she is with her Mom (BiP) on the couch he sits between them and the front door. He doesn’t bark at people passing by like he normally does. Just gives a slight growl so he doesn’t frighten her which will make her cry. Also, every morning he has to smell her and lick her head. It is just so cute how well they get along since she is only 3 weeks old. Buddy is defiantly in love with his family and we love him just as much. He gets puppy ice cream, lots of belly rubs and has a big basket filled with toys. I cannot imagine our lives without him and I hope it is a very long time before that happens.
Thanks for reading and please pass this on if you enjoyed it!
Karen G.
