The Buddy of My Buddy is Coal’s Friend — By Coal

Nov 1, 2014

Hi there, I’m Coal the fuzzy black lab at the shop who likes food, long walks on the beach, pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. I’m not into yoga, and yes, I have half a brain. And for those of you who got that song reference without web-help – congratulations!

Lately things have been getting slower at the shop. So those of you who came in this summer to rub my belly and couldn’t because of the backlog, or because I was soaked and filthy can now take advantage of the shop slowness to give an old dog his due. And I could really use a belly rub now!

But the real reason I’m writing is that there’s a new dog at the shop! His name is Buddy and he’s an older gent like myself. Buddy still doesn’t understand the rules. i.e. He can’t go out the door whenever he wants to go lie in the sun on the lawn across the street. And when Buddy “escapes,” Don runs after him and drags him back to the store and Don is NOT happy. Don can be very ribald when any one of us misbehaves. Trust me on this. You do NOT want to get into the garbage at Chez Salty. You were warned.

Buddy Dog’s pretty good about not stealing treats or toys from the display bins, but he needs a more reserved approach when meeting new dogs. Don complains that I stick my “Gigantic, Anvil-Like Head” into other dog’s faces too much, and that’s why I get nipped by small dogs. But Buddy just gallops over and just about bowls the poor visiting dog over! Nothing good can come of that! I will try to help him. His head is much smaller than mine.

But I digress… Buddy Dog seems like he’s fitting in well. He really likes the trips to the ocean and the mandatory hour-long walk at the Boothbay Region Land Trust Trails in the morning. On the downside: he doesn’t really try to play Swimfetch that much. But on the upside: he doesn’t try to rip my soft chewy “num-num” muckle toys up like Max and Auggie do. So I guess those things balance each other out.

I remember when I was the new dog. I was scared at first. I didn’t even know where my dinner was or where to sleep! Can you imagine that? A Dog who doesn’t know where to sleep? My Dogness! I was certainly afraid! But there was Don, and treats, and walkies, and Max & Auggie, and snuggies and all kinds of other things that made me feel welcome. And then there was Swimfetch! Hours and hours of Swimfetch! Hours….. Not enough hours, but a lot!

And as I sit here writing this after a fantastic dinner with Buddy curled up next to me by the roaring wood stove, I realized something truly profound. Possibly the most profound thing my dog brain has ever produced. And that thought is: I could really go for some peanut butter in my Tizzi now. It would be perfect on this chilly night next to this wood stove. Do you have any? I can wait for you to get here…

Oh, right! Sorry!

What I realized was that Buddy is HOME. Like me before, he may not realize it yet, but he is. And watching him curled up and snoozing by this lovely fire, I can’t help but think about what wonderful times we will have together. He may be rough around the edges compared to us old-time Salty Dogs right now, but he is a Salty Dog nonetheless, and he is part of our family.

I am Coal and I love you with all of my big, fuzzy, heart.

 

PS: Don says we’re not changing the name of the shop to “Two Salty Dogs Squared.” He also asked me to ask you to please stop asking him. Buddy and I aren’t that Salty anyway. Max and Auggie are.