If a dog has never been in your heart, read no further. You won't understand about Buddy. Buddy was my dog and he almost made it to sixteen years, but that milestone wasn't to be. We got him as an older puppy at ten months old. But he was never a puppy in the traditional sense, he was always just a little bit different. Feisty, ferocious with strangers, but most of all FAST! ~barb

Although I knew this day was coming, it was still a very sad day.

Buddy has been by my side since Halloween, 1991. That was the day we got him -- not a good choice. Trick or treaters kept ringing the doorbell and he got crazier every time it rang. We thought it was the excitement of the evening that made him "wild", but we soon found out -- he was a Schipperke.

If anyone has ever had or knows a Schipperke, no further explanation is needed.

When I would work on the computer he would patiently follow me up stairs and then downstairs, always keeping me in his sight. And I never was scared at night knowing he was nearby. He was the best watchdog in the world. He had the teeth and attitude to back up his bark. Although Cookie (another dog that lived with us for 13 years) wound up being more protective of me, he was still the one I depended on.

There is so much pain in losing a pet. We all know it's going to happen, but when we decided on a "Schipperke" there was one thing we specifically considered. Several friends had large dogs, when we investigated the breed, we found out they had a typical lifespan of under 10 years. I couldn't handle that. So when we found out Schipperkes were fairly long-lived, although 15+ is exceptional, that helped make the decision to adopt this feisty, strange looking little dog.

The past two years Buddy didn't climb the stairs to my office any more, although just a few months ago -- he made it all the way up and was so excited that he was bouncing up and down in happiness. Since I hated coming up and leaving him downstairs, many times I would work in the living room, just so he could be nearby.

The past few months he has slowed down quite and bit and started getting confused. He would stand there, as if to say "hmmm, what I am doing here"? And he would still like to go for a walk, but it took a long time to make it around the block. He was pretty excited to go to Eli's house! He was still walking with me just a few weeks ago.

Yesterday was the beginning of the end. He didn't eat dinner. Something that almost never happened. In fact he had a good appetite the evening before. And he was so wobbly, it hurt to watch him try and walk. He went outside for the evening and didn't want to come in.

This morning when we went looking for him, we couldn't find him! He was laying in the bushes, completely hidden. I picked him up and tried to get him to drink some water, but he wanted none of it. When I would move him to a comfortable spot, he let me know -- that's not where he wanted to be. And a little while later he would make his way to the shade of the trees in his backyard. But he did let me hold him in my lap and massage his body, something that he normally would not allow. Much of the day was spent petting, holding and talking to him. He actually perked up a little this afternoon, taking a few bites of chicken, but then just as quickly put his head down and rested some more, as if the exertion of eating was a bit too much for him.

The end was very peaceful and very nice. Dr. Tyler Mollett and his assistant came out to the house and we all went into the backyard where Buddy was resting. I held his head and talked to him, while the doctor gave him a sedative and then the injection that quickly put him to sleep. He died in the shade of the yard that he was king of, his domain. His passing over was quiet and peaceful.

He knew me for over half my life, he saw me into my teens, he was there when I brought my first girlfriend home (and he bit her, I should have known then), he was there when I got the keys to my very first car, when I came home from high school graduation, and when I left for college, he was there everytime I came home to get my laundry my freshman year, when I was sad he would lick my face, and when I was happy he knew he could always get a treat out of me…

He saw three new additions to our family come into the house for the first time, for 15 years he never missed any leftover thanksgiving scraps, he was the watchdog that we could always count on, and the friend we will never forget. Buddy was a great dog, and will be missed dearly.

Everyone who has been to our home has a Buddy memory. From the time he jumped out of the car window, while still attached to the leash, to the times he took off running when we didn't realize that Schipperkes should never, ever be allowed to go out the door without being attached to a person!

Buddy hated, absolultely hated closed doors. He didn't mind being behind a gate, just don't close that door!

When he was first introduced to Cookie, a new Schipperke in the familiy, he was about two years old and king of his domain. We feared for this little three month old tiny puppy. So we held Buddy carefully while we introduced them to each other. We also had a huge dog bone for Buddy to chew on, so he wouldn't chew on her. Well, Cookie looked up at him, marched over grabbed the bone from between his paws and walked away with it. He jumped up, went over to get it. She growled once in a puppy growl. He put his non-existent tail between his legs and never tried to take a bone away from her again in the twelve years they lived together.