Buddy

Our next pup

After loosing Sam we went to the SPCA, animal rescue & adoption shelter several times looking for a dog like Sam. They did not have any like what we wanted. Finally on 20 July 2004, we found that they had 2 ''American Eskimos'' (Spitz). We took Holly with us to pick out the dog. Our major requirement was that the dog would get along with cats. Buddy was the first one we introduced to her. She seemed to like him. Then we brought the other dog into the room & Holly went crazy & was trying to get back in to her cage. So at that point we new Buddy was the choice. I went to a walk area to test drive the new dog & he seemed to like me, so I went back in & we started the adoption process. I had noticed that he had very bad breath, a sign of dental or gum problems. We also noticed he was chewing on some spots in various places.

His first day in his new home.

Still had his fur.

We took him to the vet & he had 10 teeth removed & several infected areas that he was chewing on. He had to be shaved so that they could find all the moles & problem areas (lumps) to be removed & stitched. To keep him from tearing out stitches, he had to wear a plastic bell or cone ''Elizabethan Collar'' until his stitches were to be removed (10 days). This one was made in Denmark.

RCA Victor? His Master's Voice.

Bell Boy

He has been to Texas & Europe several times & had other four legged friends, such as Fnug, Orka, Lizzy & Gina. Everyone in our village seemed to love him.

Up until almost his last day, Buddy enjoyed his daily walks around the village, trips to the mountains, lakes, beaches, Marché Puces (flea markets) or other villages for a walk around the ville. He loved ''Window Shopping'' he looked into every window of the shops & stuck his snout into every open door. He loved meeting people & other dogs & behaved very well in restaurants & cafés. He loved croissants, cheeses, sausages, pâtés, & more than anything, he loved spaghetti.

Denis was holding him as I went to take a photo of something.	He had lost track of me & now he has just spotted me again. Time for more walkies.
Now this is a serious Ant Problem	Back home safely under the table with friend Orca.
Nothing better than doing daily Garden things.

After doing his business, he would come running back in as fast as he could, smiling & an expression on his face, like ''See what I just did, aren't you happy?''

Relaxing with a friend	Now this is the life
I am cold, I am going upstairs, to bed.	Now this is better Much Warmer under here   He got under this blanket by himself with only the left paw & his head showing

What? A Christmas photo?

After almost a year, Buddy had a few lumps & moles come back. So we went to a different vet & had them removed again & he had to wear his bell again for 10 days. In January of 2007, only 6 months from the last surgery, the lumps were back again. Dr Scott removed them again & sent samples to a lab for analysis. The samples came back as ''Mast Cell Tumors'', a cancerous disease of tumors & moles. Now we know the symptoms as reddish skin & allergies, are from the tumors. Dr Scott recommended we give Buddy a Benadryl, antihistamine, twice a day & a ''Tums'', antacid, once a day for life, to off set the histamines produced by the tumors. With Buddy now going on 13 years & the drastic stress & pain from the surgeries, she also recommended we not go through with any more surgeries. We agreed. She did say he was fit to travel back to France in May of 2007 & that was his last trip.

This is so humiliating.

Buddy Holly (not the singer)

On 21 June 2007, Buddy was slow on walking in the village of Octon & did not want any sausage or bits of pizza at the café. We knew he was not having a good day. On the following day he did not eat & was less active & one tumor had grown double in size in 24 hours to the size of my fist.
On Saturday, 23 June, I called a neighbor to translate & make an appointment with the vet in town & they went with us to the vet. The vet agreed, it was time to put him down.
While sitting on the table at the vet, he still tried to smile.
Typical of his breed, they are the always smiling dog.

Love the Sun
Très Beau, le Soleil

We will always remember ''Sam'' & ''Buddy''
See our new pup ''Jorge'' in variuos places around the site.