Buffman & Squeaky, the rest of the story

This morning I took Buffman & Squeaky for a little run in the canyons. Now readers please remember that these two Boston Terriers represent the namesake of the infamous triathlon that will be held May 21 at Buffalo Springs Lake. But to be honest with you this post is not about the triathlon, but is about these two characters. As I was running with them this morning I got to thinking about them and watching them interact with each other, the fire hydrants, road kill, live geese and anything else that came into sight. These dogs have a sense of urgency that is beyond reproach. They are also very smart dogs(how many dogs do you know that will obey the command of,okay Buff it's time for a shower, go get in the tub, and he automatically goes and does what I ask and waits for me to turn on the shower), they never cease to amaze me. On the Buffman I get the feeling that there are lots of thoughts going on in his mind. One of the things that I know must really confuse him is his manhood. Since he has been clipped and no longer has any big ole huge balls he seems to be a little confused on where he fits in the sexual equation. The fact of the matter is his doctor, Dr. George, recommended that this be done when he was 3 years old after we decided we would not breed him. He was real bad about marking all of the territory in site and it became a problem. In addition he had no sexual outlet and stayed completely in need when he knew Bell(a beautiful female Toy Collie) lived only a fence away. Bell felt the same for him, but it just would not work, breeding a Boston with a Collie. They would get together some when Bell wasn't in her need and they had lots of fun sniffing, running after each other and really doing the male/female thing, without really doing the male/female thing. The funny thing is that Buffman nearly wore a hole in the fence staring at her, daily. When I would ask him where Bell was he would stand up on the window and look towards her back yard and bark, "in her yard dummy, can't you see her?" Well it turned out Bell got snipped a little after Buffman, so they are both confused now. Sometimes though he will take a lick of where the balls use to be(you know that is what dogs do, most graciously), finds there isn't anything there, then looks up at me with those big ole eyes like he is thinking, "hey bub I had some big balls until you took me into town to visit Dr. George, then when I woke up they were missing, are they in your pocket or what?" I do have to admit I really felt for him and they were probably saved for at least a year just because I couldn't stand to think of them being cut. Oh well, I got over it, he got over it, and he no longer marks. So, we are both better off. Now to Squeaky, and what a character. Squeaky actually has two names, Marti calls her Little Bit(she is half the size of Buffman at 16 pounds, about a year and a half to Buffmans' 6 yrs)and I call her Squeaky. The Little Bit is obvious, but the Squeaky came from a real squeaky noise she makes when trying to get attention, so my name for her. When we take her to Dr. George he calls her by both names, since he is confused on what her name really is. But she is one real character and enjoys pestering the Buffman immensely. While they never really have growling, hateful, fights, they play continuously(unless I take them for over 4 miles running, then they are dead meat)and Squeaky will very gently bite the rear legs of the Buffman. He then turns and bites her back, but she usually does some kind of little flip thing that confuses him. They actually fight like cats instead of dogs. She was stripped of her womanhood very early so she really never became confused as to who she is. She knows who she is, and makes no mistake about it. She has an independent mode about her that is very interesting. When she is hungry she will take the bowl and move it around, with the squeaky sounds, until we get up and feed her. Since I learn fast, I also use this same method of getting Marti to fetch me another cup of coffee in the morning(looks kind of silly rooting around on the floor, but it works). So, that is the story about the two namesakes for the Buffman & Squeaky International Triathlon. They actually go to the event and the athletes love to see them there and even have their picture taken with them. Last year Buffman got real tired of watching the swim, bike and run stuff so we sent him home to help get the house ready for our post race BBQ and beer bash. He did a great job on that and will probably do the same this year. Squeaky will take a bigger roll this year since she is older and has a more mature attitude.

If you are a triathlete, come join the fun, if your not and love dogs, come enjoy the dogs!

greer