Finally Home-Lessons on Life from a Free-Spirited Dog

Finally Home

Lessons on Life from a Free-Spirited Dog

Written by
Elizabeth Parker

Copyrighted Material

Copyrighted
© 2010
Elizabeth Parker

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Real names have been changed or omitted in order to protect the individual’s privacy.

*
Please note that this book is not meant to be utilized as a training manual, nor is it meant to advise on how to train any dog.  Please follow the instructions of a professional dog trainer if you are seeking assistance with your dog.  In addition, please check with your veterinarian before administering any drugs, food, snacks or drinks to your dog that are mentioned in this book.  Thank you.
*

F
ifth
Edition

ISBN 978-1451523201

To order this book or if you have any questions or comments, please visit us at
www.elizabethparkerbooks.com

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this book will be donated to an animal rescue group.

Author’s Note:

Please note that this book is not meant to be utilized as a training manual, nor is it meant to advise on how to train any dog.  Please follow the instructions of a professional dog trainer if you are seeking assistance, as the dog-training conventions used in this book may not be suitable for other dogs.  In addition, please check with your veterinarian before administering any drugs, food, snacks or drinks to your dog that are mentioned in this book.  Thank you.

Thank
you
to my husband for
having the courage to adopt Buddy and the patience to deal with his goofy antics.  Special thanks for
all of
your support
and advice
while I wrote thi
s
.  You’re a great Daddy to the pups and we are lucky to have you
in our lives
. 

To Buddy, Brandi and Toffee- Thanks for being such
special, lovable
and funny dogs. I’m looking forward to some more funny adventures with you and your Dad!

“…My first encounter with Buddy was at a festive New Year
’
s Eve party
.
I was dressed in my best outfit purchased specifically for this occasion while enjoying a delicious, freshly-mixed cocktail of vodka, cranberry
,
and lots of ice.
While involved in typical party conversation, I
did not focus
on anything else in the room around me, nor did I think it was necessary. I have to admit I did see him out of the corner of my eye, but it was just too late.
I didn’t think he would actually do it, but there it was
—
that look in his eye and all
-
too
-
satisfying smirk on his face.
There was absolutely nothing I could do. I tried to move out of the way, but it all happened way too fast. I went from standing up enjoying a drink and remarkable conversation, to having my mid-section pummeled by this giant ball of fur. He already had my free hand in his mouth pulling me down, tail wagging one hundred miles per hour
,
and I was now wearing my delicious drink on my brand new clothes.
Before I could gain my composure, Buddy was already off to the next victim…”

—
(coworker, upon first meeting Buddy)

There is a time in
most people’s
li
v
e
s
whe
n
they have been emotionally inspired or amazed by something that was completely unexpected.
Sometimes it is so touching that they want to share their experience with the world and tell their story.
 

This particular story is about a precious heart along with a free-spirited little boy who owns that heart.
This little boy has expressive brown eyes, a beautiful smile,
and
a
golden-
brown coat that he never takes off. He also has a huge pinkish-brown nose and four very fast legs.
His name is Buddy. He answers to that…when he wants to.

Chapter 1-
Summer of ‘99

Each plan in life is derived from a single idea.
Some ideas start in the least expected of places during the least likely of times.
When an idea snowballs and takes on a life of its own
—
that is when it becomes a reality.

It is safe to say that it all started when I was employed at a sunglass manufacturer as an Electronic Data Interchange Specialist. This is just a sophisticated title for someone who monitors the electronic transactions between the manufacturer and retail stores. It was a pleasurable job, one where you did not need to dress in uncomfortable business attire, and though the salary was not great, it was somewhat respectable.

The people were fun, the bosses were friendly, the office was clean, and, for the most part, it was a fairly decent job. It was here that I met my husband, Michael; we began dating approximately two years after I started my employment there in the summer of 1999. It was the typical story of two goofy twenty-something-year-olds with the same wise-ass mentality, the same principles and views on life, and, in Michael’s words (or pick-up line), we were both half-orphans. He had lost his mom to breast cancer when he was at the tender age of four. I had lost my dad to a job-related illness shortly after I turned nine years old.

In the year 2000, after working at the company for three years, I decided to make a drastic change and start looking for a new occupation. Although I loved the job and the line of work, rumors were circulating that our office was in the midst of closing down. I figured I had better be prepared and search for something just in case.

After reading the classifieds and modifying my résumé and cover letter over fifty times, I was offered a job as an assistant producer for a popular local news station’s weekend program. Even though the decision was a bit intimidating at first, I had reluctantly given my resignation letter to my previous employer, said my good-byes, and started my journey on a new career path.

As luck would have it, just as I had begun to get acclimated and understand all aspects of the job including the software, technology, procedures, office politics, etc., I received news that this job was closing its doors, as well!

Needless to say, I was beginning to get a bit of a complex. I noticed a pattern and figured this time it would be wise to conduct some extensive research before moving on to my next area of employment.

After sitting at my computer and sifting through tons of verbose ads offering employment in various fields, I submitted my résumé to what I felt was going to be a respectable and stable employer. I researched the company on the Internet, carefully read through their complex website, and thought I had plenty of concrete detail to support my belief that this job lead was solid.

The company had been in business for over twenty years and had multiple offices scattered throughout the country. I did not see any obvious red flags waving in my direction.

Needless to say, after interviewing with half of the knowledgeable staff in the technology department and making numerous visits to their office, I was finally offered the job. I was scheduled to start a little later that summer and looked forward to it. It was about time!

It was during these various job transitions that Michael and I were growing a bit closer in our relationship and discussing the possibility of living together. I was still residing at my mother’s house, however, and he owned his own home.

After some lengthy conversations, we had also started toying with the idea of adopting a dog, more specifically a golden retriever. We had both fallen in love with their friendly, amusing temperament. For the most part in the beginning we would just take quick browses through puppy stores only to walk out a few minutes later. We were, after all, only toying with the idea. We were not even living together yet, so we were uncertain if were ready for the sound of padded feet running through the house and through our lives.

During that same time period, a coworker of mine was making conversation and coincidentally asked me if I knew anyone who would be interested in adopting a dog. I wanted to raise my hand, jump up and down, and scream out “Yes, me!” I managed to refrain from making a spectacle of myself, but instead tried to act cool without displaying too much enthusiasm. Of course, I couldn’t leave without trying to find out some information about the dog.

“What type of dog is it? Ah, how old? Hmm, why are they getting rid of it? Boy or girl? Does it bite? Is it housebroken? Hey…what is the dog’s name?”

He was not certain of the specifics at that precise moment in time and probably did not realize that he was talking to an obsessed dog fanatic. He advised me that he would make it a point to speak to his friend and find out more detailed information. He also offered to describe a brief reenactment of his first encounter with this dog at a party his friends had thrown (quoted in the introduction of this book). Incidentally, I figured he was exaggerating.

I got a surge of excitement about the idea and then quickly calmed myself down, meandered back to my desk, and tried to keep my mind focused on work. I did not think much more of it until I went home later that evening.

That night during dinner, I spoke to my future husband and casually mentioned the conversation that I’d had with my coworker with no real intention of going to meet this dog. I did have my coworker’s phone number just in case, but I didn't think we would entertain the idea as we already had so much going on in our lives already.

After discussing it for a while, though, we weighed the pros and cons and figured out a solution for each possible obstacle that we could think of. We reviewed our budget, our future together, dog sitters, work schedules, hours the dog would be left alone, and many other topics regarding responsible dog ownership. After a couple of hours, we made a decision.

“Why not?” We agreed. Let’s just find out more about him. We figured there was no harm in inquiring about the dog without making any real commitment.

After we cleaned the dishes and returned them to their allotted sections of the cupboard, we called my coworker that very night. As it turned out, he was going to be visiting this same friend’s house anyway and we would be able to get all of the answers that we needed about the dog. We were still in the research stage and had no concrete plans of adopting until we knew more. A healthy dog could live as long as eighteen years or sometimes even longer, and it was definitely a strong commitment.

We called anyhow and asked all of the relevant questions. We discovered it was a purebred golden retriever. Coincidentally, this was the exact breed we had been seeking.

Both my cousin and a friend of ours had owned this type of puppy, and we absolutely loved it. From both parties we knew that the breed was best known for their well-behaved and goofy temperament in addition to their beautiful, golden coat and communicative eyes.