# Buddy, my best friend



## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

*Loss of my Best Friend Buddy*

A week and a half ago ago I lost my best friend Buddy. He passed away 1 day away from his 13th birthday from cancer. He has been there through the major milestones of my life. He passed 2 months from when he first started showing signs of being sick. My family spent a lot of quality time with him during that period, but we also had the gut wrenching feeling knowing he would soon not be with us. I never thought losing a put could hurt so much...

Since his passing I feel there is a missing piece of my family. We have already had the thought of getting another puppy. Upon researching after Buddy was diagnosed, I found that there is a high incidence of cancer with Goldens which I never knew. We want to get a puppy with the best chance of being healthy given the odds. I live in Northern Maryland. I just found this forum and perhaps I could tap into the knowledgeable people for help in finding a great dog.


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

Duplicate post


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Buddy*

I am so sorry to read about Beautiful Buddy. I know how much it hurts.
My Smooch and Snobear will watch over him.
Email me the exact date and year and your screen name and Buddy's name and I will add him to the Rainbow Bridge List.

Karen
[email protected]


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ve recently lost our sweet babies too and there’s nothing so loud as the silence of a home when it’s golden is gone. Do you have any other pictures? What was Buddy’s favorite toy? I’d love to hear about him.


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## dlmrun2002 (Mar 4, 2011)

I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to your best bud "Buddy". What a great face in the photo. He lived a very long time for a Golden and I am sure you feel your time with him was very special. I hope the trail of memories he left you help soften your loss and that time helps you feel better soon. 
Looking forward, this forum is filled with a plethora of information to make sure you choose your next breeder that has all the necessary health clearances in place ( hips, elbows,heart,eyes). It is your best chance to get a Golden that will live a full and healthy life.

Godspeed to Buddy

dlm ny country


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I'm so sorry for your loss of your beautiful Buddy. 
It's very hard, many of us have been through it so we understand what you're going through. 

Good to hear you're considering bringing a puppy into your life, when you are ready, make a thread in this section and members will give you recommendations. 

Choosing A Golden Retriever Breeder & Puppy - Golden Retrievers : Golden Retriever Dog Forums

There is a lot of good information in this section you can read through that may be helpful. 

Again, very sorry for your loss of Buddy.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet Buddy. I'm glad your family got to spend quality time with him during his last few months. It always feels like there is never enough time with our beloved dogs. May you and your family find solace in your wonderful memories of sweet Buddy. May he rest in peace.


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## Deborus12 (Nov 5, 2017)

I'm so sorry that you lost Buddy. They are so much a part of our family. He was a beautiful boy with a caring family.


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

I’m sorry for your loss


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## KKaren (Oct 29, 2014)

STEye said:


> A week and a half ago I lost by best friend Buddy to cancer. He passed away 1 day shy of his 13th birthday. My wife and I are having such a hard time as he was such an important part of our lives. He was such a good dog to us and our kids. We always put off thinking that he was going to leave us at some point as it was unbearable to think he wouldn't be with us forever. The small things that remind us of him during our daily routine hurts so much. We loved him so much and he will be sorely missed.


I'm sorry to read about your dear Buddy. What a wonderful life he had with you and your family with so much love. May the memories you have of him give you comfort.


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

Thanks so much for everyone's kind words. I am so happy I stumbled across this forum. It truly is wonderful that there is a community to help out people like me. My wife and I are doing research on selecting the right breeder as we want to get a puppy that has the best shot in having a long healthy life. Any suggestions for breeders in the MD/VA/PA/DE area would be appreciated.


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

sdain31y said:


> I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ve recently lost our sweet babies too and there’s nothing so loud as the silence of a home when it’s golden is gone. Do you have any other pictures? What was Buddy’s favorite toy? I’d love to hear about him.


Buddy really loved our family and life. Always such a happy dog and glad to meet Everyone. He has been there through so many stages of my life. Before I got engaged/married/moved to another state for a job transfer/had my kids. Buddy was a very energetic dog from the beginning, people would always say, Oh he'll mellow out when he's 3 - then 4 - then 5. He never did slow down like you would expect a dog going into their 10+ years. That paid dividends in his later years as I always appreciated that he had energy. Such a great dog with my kids. My daughter would sometime use him as a step stool to get onto the couch and he would never get upset. I can honestly say that he has had a GREAT quality of life up until the last month of his life. At that point the tumor was preventing lymphatic fluid from draining in his front left leg causing a lot of swelling and leaking. Even with this condition, he always had a happy face and loved us like he always had. When we had brought him to the vet on his final day, he was happily panting and wagging his tail when the vet came.

The attached pictures were taken the day before we brought him to the vet to cross the rainbow bridge. You can see that he loved life to the very end, truly a special dog. We gave him some McDonalds that day and he loved every bite of it. His favorite dog toy that he had from when he was a pup we called "Skull Hammer". It was constructed of a rubber dinosaur skull toy and a Nylabone that we stuck inside the bottom hole. He would rest his leg on the upside down skull to hold it and gnaw on the Nylabone. Over the years we have replaced many Nylabones as he would go through them down to the stub. You can see the wear marks on it from so much use.

I really miss him and it still hurts so so much...


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

It sounds like Buddy had all the best qualities one hopes for in a Golden. I can tell you gave him a really great, loving life. He looks so happy in the pictures. It is so hard to let them go. A new puppy never replaces the old but brings its own joy to a family and helps fill the emptiness in your home. I wish you well in your search.


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

Buddy also loved the snow. He would run around and eat a ton of it. One time he ate so much that he was shivering even after coming inside. We only let that happen one time!

Right now it is snowing outside. This is the first snowfall without Buddy. :-(


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss. Sounds like Buddy had a wonderful life. He will live in your heart forever!! All of your firsts without him are going to hurt. RIP sweet Buddy.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

I’m so, so sorry for your loss. Buddy was a very special boy.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Buddy*

Just LOVE the pictures of Buddy, he was a beautiful boy!
I added Buddy to the 2018 Rainbow Bridge List.
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...rly-list/481538-2018-rainbow-bridge-list.html


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

Sorry for your loss.


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## dlmrun2002 (Mar 4, 2011)

Many here know what you are going through having been down this road, sometimes too often. We share your loss.The photos of Buddy are absolutely fantastic. He looks like the happiest dog in the world. All those tail wags were his way of thanking you for giving him a great life. I hope the footprints he left on your heart burn brightly in these dark moments. The magic of a Golden is beyond compare.
Godspeed to Buddy

dlm ny country

We, who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.” —Irving Townsend


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

Thank you for your kind words. Buddy was such a happy dog even down to his last minute on this earth. I have never lost a dog before, no one could prepare me for the pain I felt leading up to and after he left. I guess that just shows how much I love him. There was a certain charisma that he carried, something really special. He put a smile on everyone's face that met him. It means a lot to me all the nice things everyone is posting. Buddy will always forever be in my heart, all the good times we had. Since coming to this forum and learning that 13 is a good amount of time for a Golden, I am so grateful for all the time I had with him. Today marks 2 weeks since my best friend has left my family, and I miss him more every single day.


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## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious Buddy.


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## CedarFurbaby (Jun 6, 2016)

So sorry to hear that....


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

Not having Buddy around felt so empty. The family and house just had an empty feeling once he was gone. I have been doing a lot of research on Goldens and this forum has been great for the wealth of knowledge it provides. I found a local breeder here in Maryland that I found from one of the Golden Retriever clubs. Originally she said that she didn't have any puppies available, but a week and a half ago she emailed me asking if I was still interested. She had a Golden boy that originally was being sold as a show dog (Sire is a GCHG with a bunch of other awards), but the intended owner fell ill. Last Saturday we picked him up! Everything happened so fast and unexpected. We are so happy to have him! We named him Tucker. It has been about 13 years since we had a puppy and I forgot how much work it is to keep up with them. We are enjoying this puppy phase as we know it doesn't last long before they get big!

Meet Tucker our baby!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations, Tucker is adorable. 
I hope he brings you much needed joy and love and helps your heart heal.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Congratulations! Tucker is adorable


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

He is adorable. I am happy for you to have a new pup to love. I think Buddy would be happy for you too.


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

Sounds like you and Buddy shared a wonderful life together. He looks so happy in everyone of his pictures. There’s something magical in sharing so many years together.

Tucker is adorable. We’d lost our three in rapid succession last year and also added a puppy. He was born Christmas Eve so is 13 weeks. How old is your baby? Amazing amount of work, aren’t they? Fun though.


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

sdain31y said:


> Sounds like you and Buddy shared a wonderful life together. He looks so happy in everyone of his pictures. There’s something magical in sharing so many years together.
> 
> Tucker is adorable. We’d lost our three in rapid succession last year and also added a puppy. He was born Christmas Eve so is 13 weeks. How old is your baby? Amazing amount of work, aren’t they? Fun though.


Buddy was always happy and loved meeting people. I really miss him. Things are slowly getting better, but every once in a while I find myself getting sad. You live with your best friend for 13 years and then suddenly he's gone, it really feels like a kick to the gut. I try to think of all the happy times we have shared over the years - the good memories we made.

Tucker is a cutie, he warmed up to my family instantly the day we brought him home. Potty training has been a bit tough thus far and he doesn't care for being in the crate at all. I know it has only been a week, but it has been challenging. He was born on January 16th so he's about 9 and a half weeks old. When I took him to the vet a couple days after we got him he weighed in at 19.5 lbs. I think he is going to be a big boy! We are happy to have him join our family, we will be sure to give him the same love we gave Buddy.


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## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Congratulations on your beautiful new puppy, I hope you have many happy, healthy years together, Tucker looks like an absolute sweetheart.


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

I know what you mean about every once in awhile, it dawns on you, you’ll never see sweet Buddy again. We are going through that now too. One thing that has helped is I had a picture of the three of the babies together and one shot of each of them printed on a canvas that we hung over Casey’s crate area. It’s like they are looking down on their new little brother and watching us too. I find having their pictures there is a great comfort.

Casey doesn’t appreciate the crate at all either. While we typically never crate our dogs, we know how important it is to be able to, if you need to, so we are working on crate training him. Potty training is a work in progress - one day it seems like, WOW, he’s got it and then in the next minute you are all too aware he doesn’t. Luckily, my husband is retired so Casey has someone home all day that can work on potty training. Plus, my husband is very detail oriented and started a log of when the puppy eats & how much, potty times, potty amounts and descriptions, naps, training etc. It’s a good tool to discover the routines that you might not notice at first. We also have a pride of rescue cats that Casey enjoys chasing and annoying - although there’s plenty of places they can escape him, if they want to, so we have that challenge to his training too. Not to mention the treat box Casey is sure the cats keep refilling JUST FOR HIM! How’s your socialization going? Where have you taken him so far? How’d he do?

Like you said, he’s added a lot of life and happiness to our home. We still miss his brothers and sister waiting at the Bridge but we are happy we’ve added to our life.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Congratulations!*

Congratulations on your sweet Tucker! I'm sure that Buddy would approve!


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## STEye (Mar 6, 2018)

sdain31y said:


> I know what you mean about every once in awhile, it dawns on you, you’ll never see sweet Buddy again. We are going through that now too. One thing that has helped is I had a picture of the three of the babies together and one shot of each of them printed on a canvas that we hung over Casey’s crate area. It’s like they are looking down on their new little brother and watching us too. I find having their pictures there is a great comfort.
> 
> Casey doesn’t appreciate the crate at all either. While we typically never crate our dogs, we know how important it is to be able to, if you need to, so we are working on crate training him. Potty training is a work in progress - one day it seems like, WOW, he’s got it and then in the next minute you are all too aware he doesn’t. Luckily, my husband is retired so Casey has someone home all day that can work on potty training. Plus, my husband is very detail oriented and started a log of when the puppy eats & how much, potty times, potty amounts and descriptions, naps, training etc. It’s a good tool to discover the routines that you might not notice at first. We also have a pride of rescue cats that Casey enjoys chasing and annoying - although there’s plenty of places they can escape him, if they want to, so we have that challenge to his training too. Not to mention the treat box Casey is sure the cats keep refilling JUST FOR HIM! How’s your socialization going? Where have you taken him so far? How’d he do?
> 
> Like you said, he’s added a lot of life and happiness to our home. We still miss his brothers and sister waiting at the Bridge but we are happy we’ve added to our life.


Thanks for sharing that with me, it is comforting for others to know what you are going through. Potty training has been hit or miss at this point. It is darn frustrating when you spend 15 minutes outside only to let him in and have him almost immediately pee on the carpet! I feel Buddy had a easier time potty training, but perhaps the 13 year time gap is playing tricks on me. I do have to keep in mind that we have only had him for 1 week and 1 day, so I have to set expectations appropriately. We have a fenced in yard but I am reluctant to just let him out since he eats everything in sight. As far as socialization, Tucker has met dogs from two neighbors and we also brought him to Petsmart on National Puppy day where he met some dogs. He does a lot of sniffing as dogs do, all in all he is pretty chill with other dogs.

Today I had a sad moment. My next door neighbor uses the same food as we used with Buddy and we offered to give the remainder of the bag. I was emptying out his food stand/storage into the bag. I had one of those moments. :-( I then looked out in my backyard and I could picture him standing there with that happy smile (like you see in all his pictures I posted) looking at me. Just when you think you're getting better, you hit snags like that. I need to learn how to enjoy the memories I had with Buddy but at the same time enjoy the memories I am making with Tucker. Just takes time I guess.


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

We had a similar moment when we took the baby to the vet for his first shots. We’d cleaned out the collection of dog treats - doesn’t everyone have different treats for morning, after dinner, potty, walks, bath time, etc? - and taken them to the Vet for them to use during visits. It brought fresh tears to my eyes and a pain to my heart when they offered Casey a treat and it was one of Darby’s favorite! We lost Darby around Thanksgiving and he was absolutely the sweetest, kindest, gentlest boy ever! The vet normal doesn’t use that type treat, so I knew it was one of ours. So sad. Tried to take it was a good sign but in my heart I cried.


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