Our friend Ron and his chocolate lab Buddy used to come and visit just about every day. Ron was unemployed and he did a lot of work for us, painting and remodeling work. He's been a really good friend, especially since Bill got sick, and Buddy seems like our dog, as much as his. He has a basket of toys and we keep treats for him. He gets us a package of tennis balls for Christmas every year so that he has new ones to play with. He's always very comfortable here, even napping on the bed if Ron is here working. But, he's only truly happy if Ron is here, where he can see him.
When Ron got a job painting at the hospital, we only got to see Buddy on week-ends. He always comes in the door whining, letting us know that he hasn't had any treats for so long that he's just dying! He's really funny to watch when he does that.
Ron came over Wednesday morning and told us that Buddy ran off that morning during his morning walk. A stray female enticed him. Of course if he had been leashed it wouldn't have happened, but that's beside the point. Ron tried to get him to come back but you know how men can get when there's a pretty girl around. He said he hoped he would come back and asked that we keep an eye out for him, especially since it had started to rain.
Bill walked around the block looking for him and then we decided to drive around the neighborhood some to see if we could see him anywhere. We looked for about 30 minutes and then gave up. We drove by Ron's a couple of times to see if he had gone home and was sitting on the stoop but he wasn't there.
After we had been home about 15 minutes we heard something...and there was Buddy, whining at the front door! He was a total mess, soaking wet, and when I started drying him off, covered in dirt and mud! We got him dried and then got him some water and treats and called Ron to tell him that his wandering boy had come home. When he had gotten his fill of treats and water he discovered that Ron wasn't there and he would not settle down. I don't know who was happier when Ron showed up, Ron or Buddy!
Ron did say that he was limping by the time evening came, but we hadn't seen any signs of fighting or injury when he was here. It could just be he was sore from old age (he's almost 10). He could also have bruised a paw during his travels.
We're just glad he knew he could come here...and that we were home! I told Bill that even though Buddy was in the doghouse for running off, this was the only doghouse that rewarded you when you came home!
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