For more than 10 years, Buddy was employed on my dad’s farm as Chief Security Officer. Although I never heard him growl in anger, he performed daily checks on on the tenants in the three houses and mobile home located there on the farm. For a minor bribe (of the meat variety) he would even hang around for a bit. He could be quite the social butterfly.

He was called upon daily as personal security for my dad whenever farm work was being done. He was exceptionally diligent in this respect, it was claimed that my dad never needed to look, but only reach his hand down to find buddy by his side.

Buddy’s language skills were exceptional but needed only rarely. A single “woooof” (two octaves below middle C), was sufficient to convey that his bowl was empty. At this point of course, my dad was contractually obligated to supply the needed sustenance in the form of dog biscuits, chewy treats, table scraps and classic dog food.

Buddy in his prime was quite the athlete, his bounding run left my brother’s golden retriever in the dust. He never quite grasped the concept of “fetch” preferring to show off his abilities by grabbing the ball from the golden retriever and running in wide circles knowing that no one could keep up.

The picture attached was with Walt, a long time resident of the farm who passed away in July at age 96. Buddy brought happiness and comfort to all.

Buddy passed away in September.

Thank you Buddy, your watch is ended.