When Buster was introduced to me, I already had a dog, a LLapso Alpso named Kirby. Buster was a German-Short Hair/Great Pyrenees mix but thought of himself as a lap dog. I did not take to him right away as Kirby was old and Buster would grab his tail and pull him across the patio.

That summer I became ill but could not figure out what the problem was. I was examined by many doctors and spent most of my time in the recliner watching TV and reading. Kirby had passed on and Buster would lie by my side. I was finally sent to Seattle and the doctors found out I had lung cancer (caused by Agent Orange). I was scheduled for surgery but wanted to come home to see my family first.
I spent two weeks and then had my left lung removed. For the next three months the Cancer Center agressively attacked the tumors in my blood system and lymph nodes. I was tripled dosed on the chemotherapy and had 30 straight days of Radiation. When I left, the Dr's said I had a 10% chance of living three years.

I returned home 40 pounds lighter and very weak. Buster stayed by my side and would not let people get too close as he was protected me. It took many months for me to regain my strength and everyday I would take a power nap. The nap was not alone as Buster would put his head by mine and we would both drift off to sleep.

When I was able to get out we took Buster to a soccer field up the street from our home and throw the ball and let him run. He was built for speed and love to bring the ball back and chase it over and over. Later we thought he needed a companion to play with as we could not keep up with him. While in the Mall we saw a cute little black dog. The last one in the store. We brought him home and named him Buddy. Buddy was an Australian Cattle dog. When we visited our daughter, her dogs would stalk Buddy and Buster did not get violent. Instead to protect Buddy, he would stand between Buddy and the stalkers. As Buddy got older and bigger the stalking ceased. Buddy and Buster became inseparable. We would take them to the field, I would thrown the ball straight up and Buster would jump 2-3 feet to catch it. Many times the ball would bounce off his nose and Buddy would catch it in the air. If I threw the ball for them to run and get it, Buster would always win but Buddy never gave up. Many times you could see Buster slow down so Buddy could get it first. When at home the two of them loved to look out the full-glass door at the front of our house. They would sit/stand for hours just watching people go by. Many of our neighbors would comment on seeing the two patiently watching the traffic on our busy street.

It did not take long to find out that Buddy was a "puppy mill" dog and had many health issues. We dealt with them as they arose but Buddy ended up having rhematoid arthritis. He would still go to the field but when we got back you could tell he was in pain. I would sit and rub him hoping that I was alleviating some of that pain.

Buddy was a loyal dog and only friendly to my wife, Buster and I. He did not bite but he avoided other people and many said he was very unfriendly. That was far from the truth as Buddy would cuddle with us and he had this fetish about his feet. If you touched them, he would growl at you. Eventually, after taking Buddy one more time to the field, we had to put him to sleep. He was with us only six years.

After Buddy died, we took Buster to the field and threw the ball for him to retrieve. He just sat there and would not play. We tried several other times, but the competition with Buddy was gone and he showed no interest in playing anymore. He had lost his best friend.

I walked Buster everyday and many days we would pass a school that baby-sat the children while parents were working. Buster became the favorite because if one child saw us coming down the street they would yell, "Buster is coming." Buster would sit patiently and let the little kids pet him and then we would continue or walks.

When Buster reached the age of 13, we could tell that he was slowing down. We no longer walked past the children, and he would turn around and head for home after short walks. Finally it got to the point that he was having a hard time with his back legs and hips. He would have trouble getting up and we would help him at times. The Vet gave us medicine and it worked for awhile but we could see that time was running short.

The last three days of his life, I had to help Buster get outside to go to the bathroom as he could no longer support his big frame. I knew the time had come to end his misery. For those three days I pleaded with Buster to please "go softly into the night." I pleaded with him to not make me go throgh putting him down. He did not listen to me. I called the Vet early one morning and he said to bring him in at 1:00 P.M. That gave us three hours to sit, pet, and talk to Buster and tell him what a wonderful person (yes, person) he had been in our life. We put him in our SUV and took him to his final destination. I helped him out of the SUV and I told him, "If this is what you want, you are going to have to walk in, because I can't do this." For the first time in 3 days, Buster walked in, went to the examining room and sat down. The vet and his assistant put him up on the table and asked us if we wanted some time with him. They had already put the IV in and just had to administer the drug. I told Buster that he had been such a wonder friend, that I loved him and I was going to miss him. The Vet came in, I put my head on his (like he did when we took our power naps) and sobbed and told him I loved him and this is one of the hardest things I have ever done. As they administered the euthanasia drug, Buster took his big tongue and swiped away the tears that would not quit flowing.

Buster was put down on 10/29/2009. The next two months I thought I would see him out of the corner of my eye. I would look for him when I came downstairs as he always had his favorite spot for me to feed him. I would look at where his water used to be before going to bed to make sure it was full. Finally, I told my wife I have to get out of here as I can't stand it without Buster. We left for Henderson, Nevada for three months returning March 25, 2010. When I arrived home, Buster was not there to greet me. His ashed are now along side Buddy's in our house. I still look to see if there is water in his bowl at night.

This past Monday, I finally took all of his toys, collars, etc. to the Animal Shelter and told them that these came from a special dog and I hope a special dog receives them.

We have had dogs for the last 34 years and I found that of them all only one stands out as that one dog in your life that was meant for you. Buster cannot be replaced. I know I could get another dog but I would look for something that was not there. Buster took a piece of my heart and it cannot be replaced. Buddy was with us for a short time and he too had his special qualities. I have made arrangements to be cremated and when I die I am going to be mixed with Buddy and Buster and hopefully we will be with each other for eternity.

It has now been almost seven months and I still ache in my heart and many times the tears will flow knowing that my Buster is gone. I loved you for taking care of me, for taking care of Buddy, and for being that one special dog that someone like me is lucky to find in their lifetime.