As a five-year-old, I was no different than most other children that age: I wanted a puppy. I didn’t care what color, what breed, or what size they would inevitably grow into being. It didn’t matter to me that we already had a 90-pound Alaskan Malemute residing in our home. I just wanted a puppy.
My parents did not go out of their way to grant me this wish; however they were not opposed to the idea of a second dog, should the opportunity present itself. And, sure enough, one summer afternoon, our neighbors called us asking if we were still on the lookout for a new addition to the family.
They had a friend who had gotten a golden retriever puppy, not knowing anything about puppyhood before. The 8-month-old had never been to obedience training and was tearing up their flowerbeds and running full-speed into their toddlers. Apparently, the family did not have enough time to devote to getting those bad habits nixed, so they surrendered him to our then-neighbors, who called us.
Just like that, we had a new puppy.
We went to register him as a purebred Golden Retriever, and the lady at the counter looked at us strangely.
“Do you know what dog you have?”
My parents exchanged awkward glances, visibly confused. Of course we knew what dog we had: he was a Golden Retriever, and we planned on naming him Buddy.
“This is one of Air Bud’s grandsons,” she finished.
“I’m sorry, what?” my dad barked back. We knew who Air Bud was; I grew up watching those movies and it was part of the reason why I wanted to get a puppy to begin with.
“He is, and the reason he couldn’t be in any movies is because of that defect on his chest,” she explained as she pointed to his chest. “That white star makes him ineligible.”
We were in shock, completely blindsided by what we had just been told. Not only did we have a new puppy on our hands, but we also had the prodigy of a true celebrity.
Buddy, or “Julia’s Best Buddy,” as we had to name him, is no longer with us, but he lived a fulfilling thirteen years filled with Kong chew toys, acres of land to run around, and lots of love.