Buddy Boy...

We have two dogs...one is a 1 1/2 old boxer named Martini and then we have a Boston Terrier named Buddy who just turned 13 yesterday.  Buddy's story is an unusual one so I'll start from the beginning.
My brother, who lives in Texas, about 13 years ago, bought a new puppy for my nephew, Kyle.  They named him Buddy Boy, he was a baby Boston Terrier.  Now, I must share with you that my brother is not the most patient of people in the world...actually he could probably rank right up there with the least patient of most people you know.
Anyway, after my brother's divorce, he and his ex-wife both decided neither one of them wanted the dog.  My brother knowing what an animal lover I am called me to see if I wanted it.  I am not exactly a "little dog" person.  So I thought instead of me saying no, I would put it off on my husband.  So when my brother asked, I knew my husband was going to say no, so I asked him, "Adam, do you want my brother's dog?  You know it's that kind that has bubble eyes, a smashed in face and it snores."  And I just knew he was going say no when he answer, "Yes!"  What?  That couldn't be...well it was.  So on an airplane Buddy comes, flying to us.  My mom and I had to go to the airport and pick him up and he was the sweetest little black and white thing you've ever seen. 
We got him home and he was such a smart dog...but slightly skitzo.  Well he definitely took a liking to Adam right off the bat and for a very long time was our baby of the house.  He was so good and so smart...but seriously, if he was a person, he would have been a complete ass.  You know those kind of dogs that just have an attitude.  Well that was Buddy to everyone but us.
He actually got sweet revenge on one of our friends that was over for Adam's birthday party one year...we kept Buddy outside during the party just because he really didn't like people all too well...other than his family that is.  But when the night was winding down and there were only about 3 or 4 of our friends left, we let Buddy in.  There was one of our friends that thought it would be funny to make fun of Buddy and bark in his face, "Yap, Yap, Yap"  Buddy sat silently waiting...then he got right in his face again and did it over..."Yap, Yap, Yap"...I was out of the room at that time or I would have known Buddy was not about to stand for this.  He definitely had small dog syndrome.  Well that last time did it, in one clean swipe Buddy nipped at this guy's face and drew blood.  Bit him right in the lip.  Mind you it was bad enough to have to go to the hospital and get stitches and of course the authorities had to come to our house to view all the paperwork on Buddy to make sure that he had had all of his shots, etc. 
I felt HORRIBLE...I saw lawsuits flashing through my mind...thank God we had renter's insurance, but would that cover it?  I was a wreck.  We apologized profusely!  After our friend went to the hospital for stitches, the others were laughing so hard and high fiving knowing how well deserved that was.  What could we do...we couldn't discipline Buddy knowing all too well that he deserved it.  That was the last time anyone got in Buddy's face...needless to say. :)
Then we got pregnant with our twins and I just knew that he was not going to be a nice dog to them.  He has always had the run of the house and now that wasn't going to be so.  We broke him from getting on the furniture as soon as we found out we were pregnant so he didn't associate that with the babies. 
Well here they came and you know how you can become a mother bear with one baby...just imagine what you become when you are delivering a litter like I was.  I was twice the mother bear of any one person I knew.  I told my husband that if I even saw him look at them cross, he was gone.  Now mind you, I loved Buddy dearly, but when you have your own flesh and blood, all bets are off.
The day they came home, Buddy had found a new purpose in life, and it was those babies.  He knew they were his babies.  Anywhere they were, he laid right underneath them.  There were many times I would be breast feeding them in the chair and go to stand up and accidentally step on him cuz he was right underneath me.  I was so proud of that crazy, slightly skitzo dog!
So then life kind of started to take it's toll on Buddy.  He has always been one of those dogs that although you love him, you know he is going to live to 25 just to spite me.  And he's proving it! 
In his early years he was one of the best looking Boston's I have ever seen.  His markings were beautiful.  Too bad my brother had him fixed before we got him.  But after he turned 10 yrs old., life really started to take a toll on him.  He started to gray and he started getting arthritis.  See in his younger years he could jump from a standing position and reach your chest, well that starts to wear on you after awhile and Buddy is living proof of that.  Then he started to not be able to control his bowels so well.  I am a very patient person until I walk in to my girls' room in the morning to get them up for school and the first step in their room I step in throw up and the second step lands in Buddy's stool.  There are only so many words that would fit what I would have liked to say at that moment but it came out in a much more pleasing to the ear way!
It was that day that we realized that Buddy would have to start sleeping outside.  He loved it!
Then we moved to the current house we are in and until we bought a house, we knew that we would have to take Buddy to my mother-n-laws house (she lives on 10 acres).  But in the meantime we let Buddy and Martini (our boxer) stay at the house for a night. 
The night we left them at the old house, we got a call from the neighbor in a complete panic.  He said, "something is really wrong with Buddy.  I think he has been attacked or something.  He got out of the back yard somehow and he doesn't look good.  He can't even walk."  I was out of town at that time and was devistated.  I called my husband, Adam right away and said you have to get over there right now,  Buddy has been hurt and he doesn't look well at all.  I told him NOT to take the girls, cuz they didn't need to see Buddy that way.  My husband finally got over there and took one look at Buddy and knew nothing at all had happened to him, he was exactly as we left him.  We cracked up laughing, the only problem was that our neighbor hadn't seen Buddy in some time and didn't realize that he truly looks like a dead dog walking.  So I was relieved to know that he was fine. 
Prior to taking him to my in-laws house, my husband and I had to make the decision of whether or not Buddy needed to be put to sleep.  I just didn't have it in me though.  Just cuz he looks like crap, and can't hold his bowels, and can't walk very well on his back legs..doesn't mean he is ready to go to the big dog house in the sky.  I had to ask my husband, "When I can't hold my bladder (which is happening a lot sooner than I had hoped for after twins) and when I have arthritis, is it time to put me down?"  So we decided that Buddy had all of his faculties about him, he was just having the symptoms of getting old and living a very good life.  So my mother-n-law told us that he was welcome up there and they would take good care of him until we get into our new house. 
Buddy loved it right away...he got to chase cats, chickens, other yappy little dogs,etc.  My mother-n-law understood immediately why we couldn't have Buddy put to sleep, he was just old, that's all.  So when I asked how he was doing, she told me that his best friend is a rooster.  The rooster flies the coop each and every day to hang out with Buddy.  They sleep together, play together,etc.  Of all things, Buddy would befriend a rooster.  I just love it!