|
|
|
|
|
(click on any photo for a larger view)
Buddy did really well
in obedience in Prince Albert in the Photo by Cathy French
Like every dog, Bud has a
favorite toy... "Bud and I walked in the Great Human Race (GHR) this year and raised $1,140.00 in pledges for the Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta. Many of the donors wanted to know who was walking with me and said if it was Bud, they would pledge. I assured them that Bud's my GHR companion and the only one I've ever walked with on GHR day. The '05 walk was a very special one. There was a fellow in a wheelchair who was paralyzed from the waist down and couldn't speak clearly. The fellow was being pushed along by his companion and when Buddy saw him, he pulled toward the man and wagged his tail. The companion asked if it was all right to let the man near Buddy. I said it was and when the chair was close enough, Buddy rested his great head on the man's lap. The man moved his hand toward Bud with great effort and was rewarded with a kiss. The fellow kept trying to say something to his companion and kept moving his eyes down toward Bud. The man was excited and kept trying to communicate his wishes. His companion asked me if it would be okay for Buddy to walk along with them for awhile. Buddy knows how to maintain position close to my left side or my right side. I told Bud to "right side" and he moved around behind me and into position beside the wheelchair. I handed the fellow part of the leash. I held onto the handle and Bud walked the better part of the distance (5k) with the man holding Bud's leash and Bud walking beside the wheel of the fellow's chair.
'Buddy' is practicing his Air Pivot! Buddy didn't need any kinds of commands from me in that he was quite happy to be near his new friend. Anytime the fellow would try to say Bud's name or "nice dog", Bud would wag his tail and kiss the man's hand. Buddy is a wonderful companion and guardian and we appreciate him more each day.
Buddy's breeder's is Josie O'Reilly, and you can visit her website at Summer Boxers.
Buddy's predecessor was a Boxer by the name of 'Bo'
Bo was a Pet Therapy visiting dog with the, Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta, who proudly made his visits sporting his scarf! . When we would go in a resident's room and ask if the person would like a little visit, the resident would invariably look at Bo and say something along the lines of "Come on in here, buddy". We decided to go with the flow and named the next Boxer "Buddy" so when the residents said "Buddy" he would hear his name. Bo was also an obedience dog winning multi high-in-class and a high-in-trial! |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
