Our beloved Buddy dog passed on Friday, October 3, 2014. We were grieved beyond words.
We adopted him after he destroyed the carpet in our friends’ daughter’s apartment in Lubbock. Upon arriving in Longview, he promptly destroyed our carpet. We eventually forgave him for destroying our carpet . . . and for being a Red Raider. Years later, when Emily came home from the University of Texas, she brought Buddy a Longhorn collar which he proudly wore even on trips to vet, who was an avid Aggie.
In his early years, we called him by his given name, Spencer, but began calling him Buddy when our new neighbors moved in with their son, Spencer – it was just too confusing. Emily took a profound liking to Buddy and constantly carried him around the house on her shoulder. Even today, her room at Justin’s house is adorned with photos of her precious Buddy.
Soon, Buddy and our Lucy graced our house with four wonderful puppies – Trevor, Micki, Chloe, and Trisha. Only Trisha remains, but the pups were a great joy to us and our friends who adopted two of the four. I believe these were the first and only puppies born in the home where Pam and our kids were living.
Buddy had the most tender feet of any dog. He simply refused to get his feet wet on rainy days or mornings when the grass was covered with dew. We had to carry him to the boat trailer and place him on the dry grass to “do his business”. When he finished, he rushed to the sidewalk in long bounces to keep his feet as dry as possible. On the rare occasions that it snowed in Texas, he was simply impossible!
He adored Lucy. They were constant companions and had to touch one another anytime they slept, often with their heads laying on one another. They were almost always in the same room in the house. Late at night, they would occasionally serenade us with howling from the laundry room. They generally chose to howl when Pam, or I, was out of town leaving the other terrified that a bugler had broken into the house.
Buddy was the most gentle dog I have known. I never recall him growling or snapping at anything other than a morsel of food. He is missed, but we feel incredibly blessed in sharing our house and lives with him for over 15 years.
When Justin was small and saw the movie, “All Dogs Go to Heaven”, he asked me, “do all dogs really go to heaven?” Not wanting to mislead him on religious doctrine or crush his tender spirit, I simply replied, “what does the Bible say?” He quickly respond, “I don’t know what the Bible says”. I told him, “The Bible doesn’t say anything about dogs going to heaven; do you know why? It’s because dogs can’t read!” “But, since you love your dog and heaven is going to be a wonderful place, I have to believe that God, in His grace, will provide a place for our beloved pets in heaven. How about you?” Justin and I hope I am right!
Bradley Roberts Wyatt 