On loosing a soul dog and gaining another

I have a good friend who has been part of my life for over 25 years.  He has his own business and works hard.  He also lives alone and loved to come home to his black standard poodle named Buddy.  Buddy was a wonderful, smart and energetic boy.  He regularly ran the bike trail with Bob that extends from Waukesha to Madison near our lake.  Bob has a recumbent bike and Buddy would sprint right along with him stopping to sniff or explore briefly along the way.

Bob and Buddy

Anyone who has had a soul dog knows how much they mean to you, and Buddy was definitely that for Bob.  Buddy had slowed down a bit in the past year or so having reached the age of 10, but Bob figured he still had a few good years of running the trails and fetching balls, left in him.

This past summer on the evening of Bob's birthday, he let Buddy out around midnight to do his job before going to bed.  When Buddy did not return in 5 minutes, Bob went out into the yard to see what he was up to.  We live in the country where there are no city lights and the nights are quite dark.  For the first time ever, Buddy had gotten out through the fenced in yard and was gone.  Bob searched frantically for 10 minutes and found him down the road near the boat launch.  He had been hit by a car and the driver never stopped.  It was too late to save him.

Bob was heartbroken and blamed himself.  I let him grieve for awhile and then suggested that he look into getting a rescue dog.  Since he works quite a bit, he asked if I could look on the internet and email him any profiles of dogs that looked good.  Since we both have grandchildren,  a dog that loves kids was a must.  Bob also wanted a dog that had some energy and personality.

I started to look at the various local humane society sites and also rescue sites on the computer.  Several dogs that looked good were snapped up before we could even respond.  Bob also went to look at a couple that were available in the area, but none of them grabbed his heart.  After about 2 months of looking at all these homeless dogs, I was starting to dread it.  I never realized how many dogs were waiting for someone....anyone....to adopt them.  It's quite heartbreaking.

I knew that Bob wanted a poodle or poodle mix that wasn't too small, and I had registered to get emails from the nationwide poodle rescue site.  Whenever I got one, the dog usually had some serious health or behavior issues.....something that Bob didn't have the time or desire to deal with.  Bob is in his early 70's but still very active and outgoing with a thriving construction business.

After no success, I had pretty much decided to give myself a break from looking at these sites when a couple of days ago, I received a notice about a poodle and golden retriever mix.  He was white and tall and adorable.  The description fit what Bob was looking for and unlike all the other notices, there was a phone number that looked like it went directly to the owner.  I decided to call her and speak with her before getting Bob's hopes up.   She answered my call immediately and told me that Baxter was one year old and had a great disposition.  The reason she was trying to find a new home for him was because she was having a baby soon.  She already had a two year old who loved to play with him, but due to the dog's high energy, didn't think she would have the time and energy to exercise him.  It sounded exactly like what Bob was looking for.

Big Baxter

I knew how fast you needed to act to get the good dogs, so I called Bob immediately and gave him the information.  He quickly called and said he wanted the dog.  The only problem was that we are in Wisconsin and Baxter was in Iowa.  As it turned out, the owner offered to bring him to a place an hour away from us last Sunday because she was going there anyway.  It all seemed like an incredible coming together of perfect circumstances.

We drove up last Sunday and met her, her little boy and her mom.  Baxter was a little shy and a bit bigger than we expected but seemed sweet.  After we got him squeezed into my little car for the trip home, the owner's little boy came up to the window to say goodbye to Baxter.  His mom and I both started to cry and I continued to for a good 10 minutes into the trip home.  Baxter seemed a bit confused but settled down and eventually took some little liver treats from me.

Bob meets Big Baxter

He spent a couple of hours restlessly exploring his new backyard and home and then settled down for a nap on Bob's kitchen floor.  Back at my cottage,  I tossed and turned all night long wondering how they were doing, but my fears were unfounded.  Apparently he slept happily next to Bob's bed all night.

Today I took him for a walk with my dog on the bike path.  It was delightful.  He walked well on the leash and we all had a great time.  The only problem is his name.  My dog's name is Baxter also.  So for now, it's Big Baxter and Little Baxter.

Me, Big Baxter and Little Baxter

Seeing Big Baxter relaxed and happy so quickly is awesome, but the best part is hearing the joy in Bob's voice.  He can't believe how fortunate he is.  I know that the universe has sent him another soul dog and what a lovely difference it will make in all of our lives.