BRAVEHEART BUD-BOY

(My Best Friend, Buddy)

 Hello, Everyone. I must tell you about what happened last Tuesday evening on our walk. I still feel a little awed and shaken when I think of it.

We were out on our routine walk with Daddy that faithful evening. It had rained just an hour back and the ground was nice and soft. The air smelt fresh. We were checking pee-mails and absolutely minding our own business when suddenly a pack of strays appeared out of nowhere. They headed straight for me. One of them was an alpha male, clearly and he seemed so, so interested in me. He was really smelly, really thin, flea bitten and tick ridden.

Now, Mummy says strays are very, very unfortunate Pawple. They don’t have a home and Moms and Dads who snuggle them and get them treats and stuffies. Each time we refuse to eat our kibble, she reminds Bud n me that the strays often go without food for days together.

So when I saw this smelly dawg, I thought I could bring a little joy into his life by playing with him. I lowered my head, stuck my butt up, wagged my tagged vigorously and said a friendly ‘Wuff!’ Enough signal to any Dawg that I am a friend even if he doesn’t speak my language.

But this guy had no manners at all. You know what? He came and tried to get up on top of me and hold me down. And as if it was an unsaid signal for his pack, 3 others came and started encircling me.

All these happened within seconds actually, and just outside our gate. I’m kind of speaking in a ‘slow motion blur’.

This is what happened next. Daddy rushed in and tried to chase them away. But it was Buddy who saved me. He jumped at them and snarled and growled and fought them off. The pack retreated and Buddy kept snarling and chasing them off. Daddy and Mummy (who had by now joined us) screamed for Buddy to come back.

There is this patch of empty grassland just outside our colony. The dog pack fled and disappeared into this, Buddy in hot pursuit.

Now when either of us decides to run, we are unstoppable. Anyone at the other end of the leash has the option of either letting go or falling flat on his/her face. We are otherwise very good Labradawgs and never ever have hurt anyone. And almost always, we walk pretty decently. But, I said ‘almost always’. And this was one of those days when we make an exception.

Anyway, Buddy chased the pack and Daddy rushed after him, while mummy brought me home.

I got up on our boundary wall (I can climb up there very easily. Mummy says like a cat and I am not very happy about the comparison) to check that Bud is alright. You can get a very good view of the area from up there. Finally, I spotted him, coming back looking victorious, wagging his tail, with daddy in tow.

Daddy, however, wasn’t at all amused that Bud had run away after the pack. They were many and he alone. What if he was hurt somehow?

And sadly, Daddy’s words came true. When we checked Bud for wounds, we found he was injured at three places. A little cut on his front paw, one on his right shoulder blade and the worst one, a deep gash on his back. They might have been from the fight or from some sharp branch or rock in that grassland. Thankfully, he wasn’t bleeding much.

After a good scrub, Mum n Dad dressed his wound and shaved off the hair in that area.

But that alone was not enough, they said. It will bleed again if he slept on his back (which he like does always). Besides, the wound was deep. He will need stitches to help it heal faster.
Mummy and Daddy immediately brought out their surgical instruments and set up a mini Operating room. But they were worried he would be scared of the smells of medicines and probably would need to be sedated. Like I said, Bud is pretty strong and big and no one can hold him down by force.

But he was such a Brave sweetheart that evening. He behaved just absolutely wonderfully. Mummy just asked him to 'stay' and he stayed. He received 2 stitches. He flinched and whimpered once, but never tried to get up and run. He just put his head deep into Mummy’s lap. Finally, daddy went out and got Tetanus shots and he allowed Mummy to inject those too, just staying still because Mummy said so.

Mummy almost cried. She gave him his favourite treat and hugged him hard.

I am so, so impressed. I try to run away even when I have to take my usual shots. Thankfully, even though Mom and Dad are human docs, they take care of our medical needs and we don’t have to go and sit in the vet’s clinic. I have been there only once with my friend Krazzy, when she had to have a test done and I hated it so much, I refused to get through the door and just waited outside.

If you ask me the truth, I am pretty much offended by any sort of medicinal smell. And here was Bud, being so brave.

As he got his stitches and wound dressed, I watched the whole thing from behind Mummy’s back with awe. Buddy is usually such a gentledawg, a fun guy. I couldn’t believe he can be aggressive too.

I should have listened to him. I feel guilty now. He always says strays are up to no good. But I protest when he growls at them and never at Dawgs with Homes. I tell him he is biased. I wonder how he always knew and I didn’t.

Well, I hope I will remember!

That night he had his food and chose to sleep under the bed, alone.

(Buddy,with his chew bone for company)

I guess he was shaken a bit. I didn’t mind much. He smelt of Mummy’s hospital stuff and made me sneeze!

(I finally slept too)

But in the morning he was back to being his old fun-guy self. He went and dug up this big patch in Daddy’s garden and actually didn’t get scolded!

 And after a wash, he smelt nice again. So we are back to snuggling.

His wound is healing well. He sits down diligently and lets Mummy do the daily dressing. Only he doesn’t like the taste of the tablets he has to take. But then, he gets a treat afterwards. And I get one too, for no reason at all, honestly.

(Mummy didn't have the heart to take pics that day.This is today's status)

We haven’t met the pack again. But we have heard them howling at night somewhere. Poor Dawgs! They might be hungry.

Oh! There I go again…!

NO.I must remember what Bud told me. He is my BESTEST friend and obviously looks out for me.

Wags,