Buddy was born April 24, 1999. From the very beginning, we knew he would be special. When we brought him home at 8 weeks old, he was so playful and loving. His best friend became Worf, our oldest cat. And since for a while they were the same size, they would romp and chase each other around. When Buddy grew up, he sill thought he and Worf were the same size and wanted to play. We had to remind him to be gentle with the cats and to give them kisses, which he did. His favorite indoor toys were stuffed ones with the squeakers in them. He never tore them apart; just squeak them by pressing his nose around until he found the right spot. He would even speak on command. Sometimes he thought Worf was a squeak toy and would try to find the right spot on him to make him squeak! Outside, Buddy would chase bugs and fetch ball for hours, using his wading pool to cool off between runs. We couldn’t even give him a regular tennis ball to play with, as he would chew them like bubble gum. His favorite balls were those medium sized rubber balls that he could deflate and then play with them until they fell apart, but again, he would never purposely destroy a toy.
Now, as of September 11, 2007, there is a half empty wading pool in the backyard, a basket full of squeak toys, and a deflated rubber ball that are being neglected. Buddy is survived by his parents, Tim and Courtney and his siblings Kyra (black lab), Worf, Sugar and Chewie (the cats). This gentle giant will be sorely missed.
–Tim and Courtney Butler