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| Name: |
Buddy
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Age: |
Unknown
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Beagle
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| Home: |
Royal Oak, Michigan, USA |
I would like to nominate my dear little beagle, Buddy, also known as "Budro" "Mr. Mouse" "Baba" - he is seemingly a full-fledged beagle, and we're not sure how old he is-- but probably around 9 or 10. He lives in Royal Oak, MI with his loving parents, Roger and Nancy.
Buddy was found by his mom while chasing bunny rabbits through a field and over a highway in Northern Michigan near our cabin. We initially named him "Cass" for our late Uncle Casscadden who owned the property, but "Buddy" seemed to stick. Since then, both friends and strangers alike approach him and say, "Why hello there, Buddy!" and give his floppy ears a rub, whether they knew that was his name or not. Speaking of his ears, Budro has the SOFTEST, most velvety ears ever made. He has one ear that was ripped when we found him, we call it his "Map of Michigan" ear-- because it's shaped just like the lower MI mitten. He also has one red and one green eye in most pictures, and has been featured in some home-made Christmas cards.
Buddy had a hard time adjusting to being a house dog - he hates to be crated and refuses to behave when left alone. He got the name "Mr. Mouse" because he anxiously squeaks when he's nervous or upset. In recent years, he's gotten a lot better at being independent, thanks to his friend Tatiana. He still loves to follow us around, whether in the bathroom, or out to the backyard...but he occasionally just follows his nose. Although he now enjoys lounging on his big squishy pillow, he used to prefer to snooze on piles of newspapers or in his wicker basket.
Buddy never, ever barked for almost wo years after coming to our home. We thought he had his vocal cords cut by the mean hunters that let him go, but Dr. Bruce told us they were still there. One morning, around 6AM Buddy stood on his sister, Jess' window love-seat (where he used to sit and look out the window) and let out a loud, beagley "AROOOOOOOOO!!!". He woke up the whole house and startled us half to death, as we hadn't heard such a big noise out of the little fella before.
A few years ago, Buddy met Tatiana, a little white Westie from around the block and her owners, Ev and Ana. They instantly became best friends, and spend many hours a week snuggling, playing, and hanging out together. I have included a picture of them "rolling in the stinky stuff" in our backyard. Tati likes to give nibble at Buddy's chin whiskers and show him how to find the squeaker in his toys, much to his annoyance. They seem to have had a lot of fun together over the years. Buddy is able to be left alone, uncrated, with Tati and manage to control his carpet-shredding, curtain ripping urges! We are proud of him!
Buddy had an ACL injury about a year ago, and had surgery to repair his knee. He's slowed down quite a bit since then (no more trips to the dog park) and has to take it easy. He was exceptionally slow and putzy for a few days, so we took our little worry-wart beagle to Dr. Bruce's and found out that Buddy has an enlarged heart ... and the bullet of a 22 lodged in his chest from his bunny-chasing days! He must have had quite an scary start to his life, but we're glad we found him . We are pleased that we could provide Buddy with a safe, snuggly home so he could live out his years in comfort and happiness... and we love him very much.
Among Buddy's favorite things to do are to get snuggled and rubbed up by his human counterparts, sticking his head out of the window in the car, and playing with his endless "babies," or stuffed animal toys with his dad (pictured in a blue shirt), as well as Tatiana. He is also a fan of snoring, lounging, and bunny/squirrel/cat chasing. We think he'd be a great Dog of the Day.
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