Happy Birthday! . . . Buffy

by Linda K.
(Germany)

"Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag," a German greeting which means Happy Birthday!

You were born in Germany, on October 18,1999, a blond, female Labrador Retriever and got the name Buffy vom Preinsberg.

You came into our family when you were two months old, a few days before Christmas. A wonderful Christmas present for the whole family. You were so cute and lovable.

We had a family reunion on Christmas Eve and while we were busy exchanging gifts, you peed under the Christmas tree. It was funny, we all laughed.

A few months later we took you to the vet, because you had eaten one of Jenny's socks. The doctor told us to give you "Krautsalat" (cabbage salad) so you could move it out or vomit it.

From then on, we had to take care and kept our socks away from you though it still happened several times. Before washing, I checked them first and when one was missing I was sure you got it.

One time, Jenny's best friend took off her socks while they were playing and when she was about to go home, she couldn't find them anymore. Sorry, it was Buffy again. "But the socks were new," she said.

These were only some of the sweet memories.

On your birthday, we went to the places where we used to walk with you and remembered those days. How we miss you.

Lu (6 years old) drew a picture which showed a big colorful rainbow, a small brown bridge, green trees, hills and grasses, a yellow sun and some blue skies. She wrote, "Buffy's new home, the Rainbow Bridge."