Buckley Esquire - Buck 
Buck & Ike Oh, Ike doesn't back down. That is part of the issue - so I have to shout at them and remind them who's really in charge. It doesn't happen too often and they have been restricted by snow and cold so I suppose the play gets more intense sooner now. Separate them and they both act like they just lost their best friend - and they did....They are not happy apart. I'd have to say that they behave like siblings....fighting one minute and hugging the next.
Buck was one of the guys we found last year while we were looking for you. A neat man took him in and said he'd take care of him. I was really grateful to him because I was still pretty frantic about you. It gave me one less thing to worry about. Then this fall I saw an ad in the newspaper for a FREE dog.....I know what can happen if the wrong people answer that kind of ad so I called the number to offer to help the people find a good safe home for the dog. I got their voice mail and when I realized that it was the same gentleman who had taken the fellow in last winter - I just left the message to call me.
He called and was so glad to have heard from me. He had thought about calling me before putting the ad in the paper but he wasn't sure where we were in our search for you or even if we were ready for another dog yet. I told him about Ike and that we had been thinking about getting him a playmate (since you weren't back yet) but hadn't gotten around to it yet. I asked him to bring Buck out to meet Ike to see how the two would get along. Well - the first thing they did (after all the sniffing) was hit the pond together. I guess the decision was made for us by them....and we just sat in the lawn chairs and watched them run and swim and play and knew that was how it was suppose to be. Buck moved in that very day.
It wasn't easy for the man to leave Buck. They had become very close and I could tell they had spent a lot of one on one time together. The man was sad to part with Buck but he said he couldn't think of a better home for him to have or better people to love him. The man had trained Buck to obey, walk on a slack leash, fetch and some other good things. Buck is a very well behaved fellow! Some of that has rubbed off on Ike and Ike has taught Buck how to ring the bells to go outside and a few other "need to know" things for living here. I may need to do some of that behavior kind of training with Ike....he is a pretty smart guy and catches on pretty quick.
Buck has settled in just fine and our routine seems to suit him. He has his own Pet Lodge right next to Ike's and they both have big round pillows in front of the fire. The pillows were their Christmas presents, along with a big bones to chew on. I put the leather covered foam pads up for next summer. Your pillows are still here and your Pet Lodge is too - so you can come home to your own stuff.
Buck has kind of taken a special liking to Jeff. It might just be the "man" thing but it seems to be working for them. Jeff built a kennel in the shop for the guys when we go to work up there. They bark when it is time to go out - we'd never hear bells over the sound of the machines. We both go sit with them for a while (our breaks) and take them outside for a while. With Buck partial to Jeff that means I still have a hand to pet you with and time for both you and Ike.....
The three of you would make an interesting "black pack" for sure. The tall guy (lab/greyhound or Dane) with weak hips, the stocky and fast lab/retriever mix and you - the Border Collie/lab mix and the only one with a white star. I am betting that you are slightly smaller then Buck but probably just as fast. You got lots of practice running at the Freedom Park and you could almost keep up with the Kubota.
We have a 50 foot trolley strung between the pole behind the heated dog house and the deck so we can hook somebody up if we have to and they can still run a little. Jeff just brought home a wireless fence system that covers 3/4 of an acre. We can add on to it later if we need to but we'll mainly use it up at the store and over at Freedom Park. I still want to put up a fence to enclose the yard outside the back door so we can let everybody out in the morning to potty and still give them more running room then the trolley does. When we are outside we let them run free with us.
Wes called and was looking for a new home for Dufus. When Wes moved Dufus went to live with his son-in-law and had kids to play with him. I was really glad about that. I guess that family is moving somewhere they can't take a dog that big and Wes says he has grown more (I can't believe that). If it weren't for Buck already fitting in and at home here - we might have thought about taking Dufus in - but what would we do with somebody that big? Would Jeff even let him in the house? Wouldn't be fair for him to be outside when Ike is inside. I would also be afraid he would wander like he used to and then Ike would follow him. Akita's are just awful big dogs with a lot of fur - but we also know how lovable and gentle they are. I gave Wes some tips on who might be interested and who might be able to help him find a good home for Dufus.
I really miss you little buddy!!! I am mighty grateful for having you in my life and for all the things that you taught me. I am really praying that somehow we can find each other again. I am still keeping your postings current and I am still looking for you. You have to work a little harder on your end to get yourself identified as Starskey and not just some black dog with a white spot on his chest.
If anybody reading this has seen or heard of a medium sized black dog (Border Collie/Lab mix)with a white 5 point star on his chest - contact Iowa Pet Alert at their website http://iowapetalert.com or the North Iowa Humane Society at hsni@netcox.net and let them know when and where. They know how to get in touch with me faster then posting to this blog - since you can tell that I don't post as much as I used to.
Maybe I'll have to start another blog about the life and adventures of living with two BBDs in the country and taking them to work with me. It is an adventure - and they do some of the funniest things. I like the way they sleep on top of each other or butt to butt or use each other as pillows.
Here is a picture of Starskey as he looked in the fall of 2010. At this angle his star looks like a 4 point one but that bottom point (going down between his legs toward his tummy) splits to make it a real 5 point star.
We miss you Starskey!!! Find a way to get back home! We DO want you back and we DO still love you!
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