“Buck was so much more to our family than just a dog or a ‘pet’. He was our family and he was my best friend. I had gotten Buck at the young age of 22. I was going through a very tough time and was looking for some companionship. I had always wanted a dog, specifically a golden retriever. After begging my mom and dad (as I still lived at home at the time) they finally agreed to let me have a dog. I searched online for days when I finally came across an ad for golden retriever puppies. Within seconds this cute little golden came bouncing over to me, crying and jumping up on my leg. I took one look into his big brown eyes and that was it. Our souls connected and I knew he was the one. From that day forward I found a love I never truly knew existed. It was unconditional, unwavering and without any judgement or expectations. He was goofy and always making us laugh. He had this smile he would do, I called it his ‘Elvis lip’ because he would smile and one side of his top lip would tuck up under itself and stay like that for a few seconds.
He was there for every hardship and every accomplishment I’ve had in the last almost 14 years. He was my shoulder to cry on. My open listener. My shadow. Wherever I went, Buck was never far behind. Even near the end when his back end began to fail him, if I wasn’t nearby he would make sure to come find me. Because we truly were inseparable, he was my ‘person’ and vice versa. Our whole family is feeling the loss of our sweet Buck. Thankfully, we have so many wonderful memories to look back on. He definitely figured out quickly that hanging out around our two young boys was his best bet at catching a snack. Every Sunday morning I would try to make our family a nice pancake breakfast and Buck knew that as soon as that frying pan came out, he was in for a treat. I always made sure to make one big pancake for him and he would devour it within seconds.

With love,