02 Feb 2022 Best buds: Rescued golden retriever, Buddy, is a true friend

By Becky Bell

Gwen Gardner said she believes three signs confirmed that adopting her beloved dog was the right decision.

First, it was her birthday when a veterinary clinic called to say that a golden retriever was once again available after being previously adopted by a family who could no longer keep him.

At her birthday dinner, she told her family that she was hoping to rescue a golden retriever. When her dinner mates asked what she would name the dog, she knew the answer right away.

“I said he probably already has a name so I’m not going to rename him,” Gardner said. “But if I could name him, I would name him Buddy or Bo. The next day, I went to meet him and the family, and the staff said, ‘Oh, you mean Buddy.’ And I thought, ‘It’s my birthday, his name is Buddy, and I probably will have a third sign,’ and I did.”

Gardner didn’t look at the address initially, but while driving she asked her passengers what the name of the street was. They were looking for Graham Street, and Graham is the name of her 3-year-old grandson.

“That was my third sign,” she said.

Her birthday is Feb. 1 and she got Buddy two days later. “He was like my best birthday present,” she said. “I always celebrate my birthdays for a whole week.”

Buddy bonded with Gardner easily and this warmed her heart because she has had two other special relationships with golden retrievers, one named Sis and one named Daisy.

She has had Buddy for two years now and thinks he is about 3 1/2 years old. She is so glad she told the staff at her vet’s office to let her know if a golden retriever became available.

After her divorce, Gardner said she has never felt alone because she stays busy babysitting her four grandbabies, but having Buddy helps fulfill the loss of her other golden retriever, Daisy, who also gave her purpose and companionship.

“When you are by yourself at night, you just feel better to have a pup there with you, rather than just being alone by yourself,” she said. “And Buddy is a lap dog. I think all dogs are lap puppies no matter what size they are.”

Buddy loves racing across the backyard and even enjoys greeting children playing on the street nearby, but he always comes back dutifully. However, he did get into some mischief this Christmas, Gardner said through laughter.

Gardner loves to cook chicken vermicelli and gumbo, and she had cooked a hen and some breasts and the entire kitchen smelled wonderful. She had the breasts still in the pot, but the hen was on the counter. Graham’s father came to get him, and she went outside to say her goodbyes.

Buddy looked ashamed when she came back in the door.

“I knew instantly there was something wrong. Two-thirds of my delicious, deboned chicken was gone, and it was a huge chicken,” she said. “I told him, ‘It was just too much to resist, wasn’t it?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s going to be all yours now. I can’t do anything with it.’ I left it on the counter. I just didn’t think he would stand up on his hind legs and go for it.”

Even though Buddy ate the chicken without permission, it does not affect the way she feels about him. She loves him just the same.

 “He’s my shadow,” she said. “He has been a precious, wonderful companion.”