05/01/2024
Remembering Buck ❤️
“It’s not very often a dog comes into your life and saves you in the process and it’s extremely rare that they build your family along the way. But that’s exactly what Buck did. On July 27, 2014, Buck came to me at a very difficult time in my life. I was broken and having a very hard time mentally. I prayed for God to send me help and he sent that help in the form of a little white fluff ball.
I was looking for a lab for my first dog and had turned down several for different reasons. One day while I was fishing with my buddies, my Mom sent me a picture and told me there were three dogs available but they weren’t pure blood labs, they were lab Pyrenees mix. I immediately left fishing and we made the short drive down the road to look at them. Once we arrived they told us they had two males and a female left. I picked up one of the pups that was playing but it just wanted back down to play. I picked up who would later be Buck and he just wrapped up in my arms. I asked the owners if he played or just laid around. They assured me he played too. I was able to narrow the pick down to two dogs but couldn’t make a decision. I decided I would let the dogs choose me. I put both dogs down and walked a few feet away to see if they came to me. Sure enough, Buck came running into my arms. We were best buddies from that day forward.
Buck and I made our first trip to the pet store to pick out food, treats, bowls, a leash, a collar and several toys. In true Buck fashion he was a store favorite.
The next few weeks were difficult trying to work full time, go to school full time and train Buck. He was ornery! I remember he used to wake me up by nibbling on my nose and ears. It was irritating, I wasn’t sleeping but there was no way I could get mad at that sweet little face. He would chew up my phone chargers and cry if I tried to put him in a crate. Buck only spent 30 seconds of his life in a crate, once he started to cry I hurried up and took him out.
Over the next year, we went on a ton of car rides in the country and he would even accompany me at work from time to time. He was the highlight of my day when I would come home from work. Even when I would work long days and be dog tired, seeing Buck would always give me a second wind and the energy to come home and play with him.
Whenever my friends came over to the house, he was always the center of attention and enjoyed every moment of it. Buck was a social butterfly. He never met a stranger! We use to joke that someone could rob us blind if they had treats with them because boy did he love his treats!
A year later Buck would find me a wife. Megan came into the picture in May of 2015. I invited her out to the house one night because we were having a party. She came around the house and told me Buck was a very sweet boy and that he had jumped all over her and gave her lots of kisses. I was a little puzzled by this because although he got along with almost everyone, he never jumped in a strangers arms before. I decided I would trust his judgement and see where this relationship would go. From that night forward Buck would go on many dates with us and would become friends with Megan’s dog Gunner. Buck also had another friend at our house that was unfortunately hit by a car. Buck began to go in a depression and we were told he may need a companion. So along came Molly into our family. Buck wasn’t instantly excited about a new puppy in the house but those two became inseparable.
Two years later, Megan and I bought our first house. All three dogs took a little while to get adjusted as a blended family but soon became best friends. Buck enjoyed many gatherings at our house and enjoyed many treats and table scraps. It was at this house where Buck finally learned how to catch toys and really dialed in on his fetching skills. Buck was an avid hunter! He chased down many rabbits, turtles, snakes, mice and birds. When he would get excited his ears would perk up and he would bunny hop like a rabbit. He enjoyed sitting on his perch on the deck. Buck loved to be outside anytime he could be, as long as it wasn’t hot. He was a lover of the cool nights and the snow in the winter. Buck was an escape artist! Always finding ways to get free! He would out run the underground fence as fast as he could so he only got one shock before he was out of range. He found so many ways to bust out of the chain link fence we put up next. He would even hold the bottom up just enough to let his sidekick, Molly escape with him! It took us running a cattle line at the bottom of the fence to keep his free spirit in!
Buck was the BEST snuggler. There were very few times that I was allowed to sit in my recliner or on the couch without him demanding he lay in my lap as well. He truly didn’t understand his size. He was the biggest lap dog and believed he was a baby, probably because I always called him one, “hims just a little baby.” Buck always enjoyed going for a ride to the store because he was always the center of attention. While riding in the car, he would go to the window that would allow the most people to see him. He always brought joy to people while we were sitting in traffic or going through a drive thru.
Buck hated noise, clutter and kids. There was a time Megan and I worked night shift, (first responder life) Buck would always try and open the bedroom curtains while we were sleeping and the light would wake us up. We had to put tissue paper in the curtains to keep him from doing that. He hated the crinkle noise! Anytime we would decorate for the holidays he would go hide or lay outside until all the totes were put away and the house was cleaned back up. As for the kids, they were what he hated the most….. Noisy and messy! Buck loved his peace and quiet and took his sleep very seriously. Napping was his most loved hobby. Anytime he was asleep he would always have the biggest smile on his face. God help you if you woke him up or made too much noise. He would let you know with a head snap and a look that could kill followed by a very long drawn out heavy sigh!
Buck gave us a couple scares during the span of his life, many of them were after hour emergency calls. Between seizures from a parasite infection, to an infection because he just had to play with a snake. Those scares didn’t come close to the one we received in 2022. I had gotten home from training earlier that day. Late in the night, Buck woke up gagging. At first we assumed he had food or something stuck and it would work itself out. He began to pace and continued to gag. Something in my gut told me something wasn’t right. After looking at him, I saw spit bubbles and could tell in his eyes that something was horribly wrong. We called the on-call vet, which thankfully was Snodgrass Vet. Doctor Hannah met us at the clinic and after an x-ray, she told us he had bloated and his stomach had flipped. She also told us she would have to operate immediately and it would be a 50/50 chance that he would make it. After what felt like an eternity, Doctor Hannah came out and said Buck made it through his surgery and she didn’t see any further damage. Buck was brought to Megan’s parents’ house to recover. He and Molly only made it a few days until they became too depressed so we had to bring them back together. Thankfully, he recovered from his surgery and was able to live almost two more wonderful years.
As time went on, I would see my sweet babies face turn whiter and whiter. Signs of aging were creeping up on us. He would need supplements for his joints. Even with the obvious signs of aging, he played and ran around like he was a puppy. Buck was able to walk into our new house that we built across from our family farm and immediately yell at the deer. He would also get to see Megan and I get married. Unfortunately, Buck would begin to get multiple bladder infections and an enlarged prostate. The decision was made to have him neutered. Buck made it through surgery and started to act himself again. A little over a week after surgery, I got a feeling in my gut to look at his incision. After looking, I noticed he had an infection. Back to the vet we go for antibiotics. Two days later, I get the same gut feeling. I noticed he had severe bruising on his stomach. The next five weeks would be an up and down battle to fight off his autoimmune disease. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a battle that could be won and we had to put him to rest on April 22, 2024.
The past month that Doctor Mara was able to give us was so special and so important to us in a lot of different ways. We got to live the last month with Buck like we may not have tomorrow and boy oh boy did we live it up. He got so many steak dinners, pup cups, car rides and treats. He played, chased wildlife, and he was able to see everyone he loved over that month and had lots of visitors. It was a hard month emotionally not knowing how it was going to turn out but we wouldn’t give it back for anything. It gave me time to process the fact that we would have to continue our life without my best friend by my side. I am going to miss his warm cuddles, his ears perking up when you say “play, treat or outside.” I’m going to miss that I could pat my chest and say “hugs” and he would jump in my arms to give the biggest hugs.
Buck was not just a dog or my best friend, I asked god for help almost 10 years ago so he sent me a special angel. That angel helped me get my life back in gear, helped me enjoy life again, and picked out my wife. He made sure that I would be ok once he had to leave this world. I will forever be thankful for my time with Buck. I am beyond grateful for all the work the doctors did to give me another month with my buddy. Losing a pet is never easy and you can never prepare for it but the doctors gave us a month to love him and come to terms with what may happen and that time can never be replaced.” -Troy L.
Every word of this is precious, and we are so grateful to Buck’s dad for writing this and sharing it with us. Buck was simply amazing. Rest in peace, sweet one. 🌈🐾
