Buttercup
Buttercup is my beloved guru dog friend. I rescued Buttercup when she was one year old. She was living on a farm near Charleston, SC where my sister was boarding her horses. Buttercup was the runt of her hunting litter and all the other dogs bullied her. Her owner did not care well for her and she suffered. When I was visiting my sister one weekend we went to the farm to ride her horses. While there she decided that I should take Buttercup home. The last thing I needed was another dog; especially a mangey, skinny, terrified dog! But then I remembered visiting another time, almost a year earlier, and holding this precious, only weeks old, puppy in my arms for hours. It was Buttercup!
After giving it some thought, and talking my sister into catching Buttercup and bathing her, I decided I would take her if the owner would allow it. At first he said a gruff “no!” Later he came around and said, “Sure, take her. She’s no good anyway.” So with some effort we caught and bathed this poor terrified dog and put her inside Suzie Suzuki for the long trip home to Raleigh, NC. The friend I was with drove us home and I stayed in the back with Buttercup all the way back. I’ve never seen such a frightened dog!
When we arrived home I literally had to pick her up and carry her to the back yard because she was so terrified; frozen with fear. She would not look at me at all. Upon arriving home she got to meet my other dog, Chelsea. Chelsea was a dominant diva type which I’ll introduce to you later! Over the next days, Buttercup bonded with Chelsea but was still scared of me. It would be a solid year before she could look me in the eye!
That was almost 12 years ago. Now she is my dear friend. She has grown into a peaceful, self-assured dog who is a joy to all who meet her! She is the gentlest dog I have ever known, and I am deeply grateful for her presence in my life. She is so brave! I adore her. As of this writing she is 12 1/2 years old. She sleeps a lot but she’s doing well and is happy.
This past summer she let me know that she wanted a little brother, so we kept Pedro. He has given Buttercup a new lease on life and is a welcome addition to our little family!
