Friday, October 28, 2005

Mandy's friend

I got Mandy as a puppy over a year ago; we hadn't had her more than a month before the next-door neighbors acquired a puppy they named Buddy.  Because the two dogs were babies together, they  became pals to the bitter end.  At first I fought it, and tried to chase Buddy home.  Then I decided to let him come around, but ignored him as much as possible.  To me, he's a homely creature; besides, if I so much as glance at him, Mandy is jealous, in spite of how much she likes him. 

This is the sight that greeted me when I looked out my door at 9 this morning.

I lock Mandy in her pen in the barn overnight; often, when I go out in the morning to turn her loose, Buddy is getting up from beside her pen, stretching and yawning.  He's spent the night again.

These two clowns have given me more genuine laughs in the past year than anyone has a right to.  They're a nuisance in many ways, but they team up to do such funny things:  for instance, we turned into our drive the other day just in time to see Mandy carrying a croquet mallet home in her mouth... and the two dogs then played tag with that thing for hours.

You'll notice how skinny Buddy is.  I mentioned to Cliff today that I'm thinking of perhaps feeding him.  After all, he's here half the time, and people will think he's our dog, and that we're starving him.  Cliff just shook his head.  He gets tired of Buddy peeing on all the tires around here.  And boy, do we have tires, what with seven tractors, a car, a pickup and a motorcycle.  Oh, and a couple of lawn mowers.

But hey, the dog is here, whether we like it or not.  Dog food isn't that expensive.  

We'll see.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good LORD, mom, feed the dog.  He looks like crap,  poor thing.  No, I don't like him, either, but feed the dog.

Anonymous said...

Well, he's not gonna leave whether you feed him or not, so you might as well fatten him up some.  Blessings. Penny

Anonymous said...

Hee....send that boy over to my house!  I'll have him roly poly in no time and I can always use more snuggle buddies... Chicken skin and bacon grease for that one!  :-D
(and you know Cliff fusses only because it's required...he knows you're gonna feed that sweet face anyhow...lol)

~Amy

Anonymous said...

If this isn't an "Awwwwwww" entry I don't know what is. Just precious!

Anonymous said...

Whose dog is he? He is a bone, poor thing..he would be striking with a few pounds on him.

Anonymous said...

I love those two dogs!  The picture of Mandy as a pup is adorable. Tell Cliff that Buddy needs his OWN personal tire to pee on and he'll leave the others alone. (There's no place like home!)  Anne

Anonymous said...

The puppy pic is awesome!!  Buddy looks like he might need to be wormed.

Russ

Anonymous said...

I say you feed him.  I'll clip coupons and send them to you.

XXOOO

Bnana

Anonymous said...

Mandy was so cute as a puppy, such a sweet face. I was thinking what someone else posted about Buddy probably needs worming, bet he has never had one. Plus some food but worms can make him skinny as you probably already know. Helen

Anonymous said...

First I want to say I have enjoyed your ramblings for almost a year now.Thanks for all the wonderful food for thought.This will be my first comment on your articles. When it comes to animals I had to have a comment.To stand up & be counted for them.Please see that the puppy gets food and a worming or vet check up.
I live on a country road in Texas. Think the word has gotten out that my road is a dumping ground for animals. We have had several dogs & more cats than I could count dumped.I can't stand to see them hungry,lonley & scared so I give them a meal & find homes for them.I find it so sad people get animals then when they are tired of them they throw them away like trash.
Thanks for giving me a soapbox.Thanks for your great writings they are always welcomed over my cup of tea each morning.~pat~

Anonymous said...

Awwww, Mosie.... Buddy is pretty ugly, but he is cute too!  And, besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder,and maybe Mandy looks past Buddy's exterior! hee

They look so cute laying there together..  Mandy looking a liite shy and sheepish at being "caught" with her beau overnite...and Buddy...well.. he just looks like he is looking at you with one eye thinking, "Yeah.... ummhuhh....Ya got a cigarette you could spare?"  lol

Love the story, love the pics!

Jackie

Anonymous said...

Sigh, you might as well throw in the towel and feed him. When we lived in Pennsylvania for a year, the previous tenants "forgot" something and to this day we joke around that the house we had there came with a free cat! Not only did we keep him, but  Vincent ended up getting "catknapped" by us when we moved to West Virginia - and he's one of the best pets we've ever had.

Anonymous said...

Cliff's just protesting cause he knows he 'should'.. he knows you are going to feed Buddy... as do you <g>. I'll bet he's already had a few 'treats' while visiting. You might as well give up, he's not going anywhere, and he seems to spend more time at your place than his 'home'. And, like has been mentioned, I'd probably throw some wormer in there. Also, for Mandy's sake, you might want to be sure that shots and wormer are kept current... he could spread something to her! I've aquired more pets this way <g>. I think Morgan (my current dog) is the first and only one I ever purchased... the others have always just shown up or been brought to me! Yeah, I have soft-hearted sucker written across my forhead.

Anonymous said...

A few 'treats' here and there certainly wouldn't hurt him at all !  It's not like the food would encourage him to come to your house - he does anyway.  Our critters certainly do give us lots of smiles and love.  Have a great Saturday !
'On Ya' - ma

Anonymous said...

You just tell Cliff water's cheap - memories are priceless.  Just rinse off those old tires.   And Mandy and Buddy are sure making lots of priceless memories for you.  I say feed Buddy and let him shack up with Mandy all he wants.  Shoot, they're tighter than shadows, so may as well keep them both happy.  Besides, if Buddy's worn down state catches something bad, he'll just pass it on to Mandy.  So might be cheaper to feed him in the long run.  You've got a winning group of animals around that place right now.  Milk it!  Boo

Anonymous said...

That poor dog is way too skinny! You don't think it's worms or something. I know when we lived in the country our dogs ran loose and always managed to find wild food even though we fed them quite well. You're generous to take care of him.
:-) ---Robbie

Anonymous said...

Throw in some wormer too! I bet they forget to feed him all the time. Sounds like he actually stays there all the time anyway.

Anonymous said...

What a great story.  Yep, I'd feed him and worm him too, and I'd bet you will...

;)

Judi

Anonymous said...

Dog food isn't that expensive. I say feed that skinny cute dog.

Yes, I am an unabashed dog lover. Dogs rule, cats drool.