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| Crockett |
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| Bo |
I got started on being a dog person very early in life. At age 3, my family got a black lab named Bo. He stole a lot of our toys and a few popsicles here and there, but his specialty was pizza. He'd walk himself down to the pizza place right outside of our neighborhood called "Tom Tom's" where they'd leave the burnt ones outside waiting for him. Our neighbors still recall seeing him trotting casually toward home with his head held high and with a large pizza hanging out of his mouth. Can't help but laugh thinking about that, can you? I'm thinking the pizza place started to burn them on purpose just because they loved him so much too. Bo was a sweet dog and I loved him for fifteen and a half long years. As I tear up thinking about him now, I know he's up there playing his heart out. All dogs go to Heaven, you know.
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| Buck |
After about six months without a big ole happy companion around, my parents decided to take on the puppy life once again. This time was a bit different than the first. There weren't any crazy little screaming girls this time around to chase around, but Buck found plenty of other ways to cause trouble - pillows, a cashmere blanket, and some of my favorite chocolate-covered almonds in the cabinet, among plenty of other things he wasn't supposed to chew. We all loved sweet little Buck with all of our hearts. After having Bo at age 15, little Bucky at 6 weeks old was something else entirely! He was a strong, loving, handsome, and mischievous dog with a good heart and a playful spirit. I was home a lot to see him and we always had a good time together. We got to FaceTime during my time abroad, so I didn't ever miss out on too much Buck time. My parents fell entirely in love with him, as we all did, and gave us all regular updates of all the funny things he did. He loved running and sliding in the snow, maybe because he was born in that cold and snowy February of 2014. He loved playing at the farm and running circles around the yard at NASCAR speed. But most of all, this dog loved to ride in the car. He'd hop in at any moment, especially if he thought you were about to leave him behind. When I'd come home from Chapel Hill, he'd jump right in and stay, even if I went inside and left the door open. He wanted to make sure he was getting to come along wherever you were going. He'd sit right up in the front seat like a person, and just look as content as anyone ever could. And that's how I remember him today. I see my sweet little Buck riding shotgun in the jeep, having the time of his life with his tongue out and his eyes right on me. I keep him close to my heart and think of him every day. My last day with Buck I was leaving to go back to school after a weekend at home. He walked up to my car and stuck his little head in the door. He didn't want me to go and I didn't want to leave him. It was almost as if we both knew it'd be the last time together. As I fail to hold back my tears today, I tell you of how much we all miss him and how losing him broke all of our hearts. In the summer of 2015, Buck went to Heaven to be with Bo, but lives in our hearts now and forever.
So this is my story. I'm a dog person because of the unrelenting love and loyalty that dogs show. They are compassionate companions and make one hell of a friend. To my puppy brothers in Heaven and my sweet Crockett in Reidsville, I love you and I'm glad I could share our stories. To all of you out there reading, I can't wait to share other people's puppy stories with you too.
Until next time,
Lily
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