Happy Tail: Blue Belton Buck

This blog post is so overdue. Shortly after my last post, my grandmother passed away. She read my blog regularly and enjoyed hearing all the stories about our foster dogs. I didn't feel like writing for a while because I felt like no one was listening anymore without her there reading my posts. Of course, that's not true, but it took the wind out of my blogging sails for a bit. Next thing I knew, six months had gone by and I hadn't finished telling Buck's story. It's a wonderful story, a happy tail to top all happy endings, so I can't move forward without sharing it. So here we go, back on the blogging train. This one's for my Tutu, who made sure I was raised with dogs and supported my rescue efforts 100%.

Post enucleation

Bob & Buck

After determining Buck had lost his sight again and that the inflammation in his eye was not improving, we made the difficult decision to remove the right eye. We all agreed that Buck would be much better off without that irritated eye bothering him constantly. Dr. Burling did a fabulous job and Buck recovered from his enucleation beautifully. It was very quickly clear to us that he felt much more comfortable even just a couple days after the eye removal. We knew we'd made the right choice for Buck, even though it felt a bit defeating. With his head held high, Buck moved forward with life as we'd seen him do so many times already.

In this midst of all this, something amazing happened. We received a perfect adoption application for Buck from a wonderful man named Bob in New Mexico. Bob fell in love with Buck while searching for English Setters on Petfinder. He'd rescued a few other English Setters previously and missed their companionship after they passed. We were unsure about sending Buck so far away at first, but didn't write it off as a dealbreaker. After all, we've got dogs all up the Northeastern United States thanks to transport efforts. What's the difference? 

Livin' the life!

I had a lengthy, heartwarming, and exciting phone conversation with New Mexico Bob. Next thing we knew, he flew up to San Jose to meet Buck in person. They were a perfect match. Not least of all, Bob wasn't put off by Buck's health uncertainties. Bob met Buck before we knew his eye needed to be removed. We wanted to see him through the rest of his eye situation before adopting him out, which Bob understood. I kept him posted throughout Buck's surgery and recovery. He never wavered in his commitment to Buck. I'll never forget Bob's inspiring answer when I asked him if he'd be put off by Buck losing his eye: "Perhaps when I was younger and vainer I might have felt differently, but age has made me a more compassionate man and I want nothing but his comfort and well-being". I could not have scripted a more perfect response. This guy won me over with his patience, compassion, and dedication to a dog he'd barely met.

He's even got 2 Christmas stockings!

He loves his bed

On August 31, we sent Buck off on the road to forever. Bob flew up to San Jose, rented a car, and drove back to New Mexico with Buck alongside him. I didn't cry over Buck. This adoption was so incredibly happy, inspiring, and perfect. With all the obstacles Buck faced and the logistics Bob hurdled to adopt Buck, we felt nothing but joy and gratitude as we watched them pull out of our driveway. We knew Buck found the life he deserved. I get pupdates from New Mexico Bob every so often. Buck lives the life of a king, which is exactly as it should be. He goes to work with Bob every day, rests in orthopaedic beds cushier than any human mattress, naps in front of the fireplace, enjoys brunch at the club overlooking the golf course, goes for leisurely car rides on the weekends, and never leaves his daddy's side. Buck is comfortable, happy, and well-loved.

I can never thank all of Buck's fans enough for their amazing amounts of support and encouragement. Animal Eye Specialists, Dr. Burling, St. Francis APS, and many friends and neighbors rallied together for this old dog. Thank you. He is so very special and he's safe because of all of you. Most of all, thank you to New Mexico Bob for being an incredible human being and of course, to Buck, for growing our hearts just a couple sizes bigger. We love you, Schmuck! Happy forever, old boy.

Happy Tail Photo!