Gone, Buddy, Gone - A Dog Story

I've mentioned our neighbor Karen before. It was she who made the
Maraschino Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, which are to die for. Karen has an adorable dog named Buddy, pictured above.

Yesterday, as I was shoveling the driveway, Karen came up to me, obviously distraught. She had come home a half hour earlier and let Buddy out of the car, but instead of going to the door as he normally did, he ran into the trees and did not return when she called. He's normally very obedient and responds to a variety of commands, even those that sled dogs follow, leading her to believe he may have been a sled dog once. He loves the snow.

I grabbed Connie and some binoculars, and we hopped in our car to go look for Buddy. Karen already had people out looking, so I figured we'd avoid the likely routes, since others were no doubt pursuing those leads already. We drove slowly through the neighborhood with our window down, whistling and watching and wishing we'd spot Buddy.

I was fearful that he hadn't come home because he'd run in front of a car or a snow plow, and they'd been unable to stop. I've seen more than one car skid past their turn and have to back up to make the turn.

There's a large field behind Karen's house. We drove down the road towards the field, and came across a man on his porch swinging a dead cat. A large cat. Like three times as large as our 20-pound Maine coon. It was a bobcat or something. He said he'd shot it the night before in the nearby woods. I asked if he'd seen a dog in a red jacket, and he told us he'd seen a dog matching that description a couple miles away, acting goofy in the snow.

We followed his directions, leaving our little enclave for the main road. We don't have our studded tires on yet, so I was staying under 25 MPH, keeping the car in four-wheel-drive. The roads have been really icy.

About a mile down the main road, we spotted Buddy! The crazy dog was right in the middle of the highway. Cars were honking at him as they went past. I put the flashers on and pulled over to the side.

We got out, and I whistled, and we both called Buddy. He froze when he saw us, then stood there a minute. After a month or so, my heart in my mouth, Buddy came running over and got right in the car. It almost didn't seem real.

How did we ever survive without cell phones? I immediately called Karen and let her know Buddy was safe and with us. "Oh, bless you!" she said, nearly in tears. As I hung up the phone, a car pulled up next to us and asked if we were okay. We still had our flashers on. I assured them we were fine, and they smiled and drove away. That's the world I want to live in, a world where you know your neighbors and they help when you need it; a world where even strangers will stop to make sure you're all right.

Connie often walks Buddy, and often gives him dog biscuits. This probably helped us get Buddy in the car. He kept licking my ear as I drove. Dog slobber... ew

We drove Buddy home, where Karen was waiting with some of the neighbors. She wanted to yell at Buddy, but she was too relieved just to have him home.

She thanked us profusely, and told me she'd make me a batch of the cookies I love so much. She brought them over today.

They're already gone.


Posted by Dave    Blog Tag: News Comments