Rick and Joyce were the very proud parents of a gorgeous black Lab named Buddy, who they adopted from Safe Harbor many years ago; and as Buddy did not have a success story written at the time of his adoption in 2003, they recently sent us this lovely retrospective story of their very happy time together. Buddy’s dad tells their success story:
Buddy, adopted 6-7-2003
When our old lab died unexpectedly, his friend and Lab mix mate (Galena) needed a partner quickly as her health was going downhill fast as a result of missing her partner. We checked all the nearby shelters and there were no Labs available. Then we found the Safe Harbor Lab Rescue website and they had Labs. We drove to Denver on a Saturday morning and met lots of Labs. That’s where we found our dog Buddy. He was just a pup about 8-9 months old. We took him home and Galena made immediate improvements. From that point on, they were inseparable.
Buddy was the definition of HIGH energy; you couldn’t throw the ball with the Chuck-it enough times to ever wear him out. I’m a caretaker of two high mountain reservoirs and Buddy, Galena and I spent our days at one of the reservoirs or in the truck going from one to the other. Buddy could run in front of the truck, or more often in the forest alongside the many mountain roads I traveled. He wouldn’t want to stop to get back in the truck. Watching him run and jump over logs and rocks, you could tell he was having the time of his life. He loved to swim and dive into the reservoir to retrieve his ball or stick. He loved to hike with me and was always out in front leading the way. He was tireless.
Buddy and Galena were excellent travelers. My wife and I took Buddy and Galena, and then sadly just Buddy, on many trips. It was amazing to see this energetic dog settle down in the back seat of the truck for a nap when he knew we were on a “journey.”
Buddy had lots of dog beds in many locations and he loved them all. His favorites were the Beasley’s Couch so he had a pillow for his head. He sure could make those beds look comfortable. He loved to have a bed in each room so that he was never very far away from us.
As he grew a little older and wiser, he learned how to tell us that a “treat” was expected whenever we left him alone for more than just a few minutes. There was a treat jar just inside the front door and he would sit down in front of the treat jar and look at it and then at me and continue this neck exercise until a treat was produced. The refrigerator was the ultimate source of treats, to him it must have been some kind of a sacred object the way he worshiped it.
We lost our beloved Buddy in February, after sharing our lives for almost 13 years, due to kidney failure. There is a large hole in our hearts and we miss him so much. Everywhere we look something reminds us of our lost companion. He will always share a place in our hearts, thank you Safe Harbor for making our lives better with such a precious friend.
Thank you, Joyce and Rick, for giving Buddy a very long, happy life and letting him know every day how much was loved.