Buddy is here, laying at my feet, sleeping. Sounds odd, I know. Since his passing on 27 June of '06, there has been quite a few "lost" pets finding their way here, mostly cats, and they all were found a home elsewhere (except for "Oddie, a kitten with an odd bushy tail that didn't match his body). I know that the frequent appearance of these strays after Buddy's passing was coincidental, but at times it felt like someone, or something, was directing them here for me. I've made a few visits over this past year to local animal shelters, but every time, regardless of the breed, it only made me think of Buddy, so I left without adopting. Besides, the look in all those eyes as I walked past the cages was just too much.

On 25 August '07, almost two weeks ago, a truck stopped on the road about 100 yards or so from the house, where the driver pushed a small yellow dog out of the cab and then sped away. The dog ran down the road after the truck, but soon gave up and slowly returned to his "drop-off" point. He then walked into a nearby corn field but came back out after a few minutes, standing there looking down the road in the direction of the now departed truck. So I called out to him, "here boy!, come here boy!", patting my legs, crouching down and holding my arms out to him. He was very hesitant at first, but after a few minutes walked into the yard with his tail wagging slightly. Oh My God!!! He was a Yellow Labrador Retriever and looked to be about four to five months old!!!!!!! That was on a Friday, and I told myself all weekend that he was going to the animal shelter the following Monday. But.... deep down inside I knew better. He immediately started walking at my side, as if he had already been trained to heel, following me every place I went. What to name him???? I tried all kinds of different names but nothing seemed to fit. At his Vet visit the following week, the receptionist said "What's his name?", and without a moment's hesitation I said "Buddy".

He is sleeping at my feet at the moment, surrounded by his chew toys. He seemed to be unfamiliar with playing at first, but now has the "chase the ball" thing down (we're still working on the Frisbee). "Sit", "Come", and "Paw" was easy. "Down" and "Stay" is next.

Buddy is home. Those eyes.