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Buddy: Bonvivant and Bulldog About Town

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Buddy: Bonvivant and Bulldog About Town
If you didn't want me to chew it, then why did you make it out of pigskin.
Buddy the English Bulldog
The day I adopted Buddy; love at first sight!

I don’t hide my love of bulldogs. I gush, dote, kowtow, and cater to the charismatic clowns and heart melters wherever and whenever they cross my path (or back in for a butt rub, as the case may be). In my house that can be minute-to-minute. My mother shared that I was drawn to this lovable breed at an early age. As a toddler, I was infatuated with “Sister” the bulldog next door. Apparently her substantial mass, reluctance to move, and good nature made for the perfect combo of playmate and jungle gym.

Decades later, I still hold the bulldog in high esteem, just shy of calling the breed a deity. I’ve owned four, wait, make that four bulldogs have owned me: Maggie, Boz, Gracie and Buddy. More accurately, I rescued them and they rescued me. I have served at their pleasure and had my buttons pushed to accommodate most if not all of their whims, grunts, whines and standoffs.

If pets are any indication, it’s probably a good thing that I never had children; they would have ridden roughshod over me. “Dad, can we have cake for breakfast? Pretty please.” little Harper implored. “Well, I guess so; there are eggs and milk in it.”

While Boz and Gracie have graced the pages of this blog, Buddy is the new kid on the block and it’s time you got to know him. And what better way to do that then with photos of the top dog “in action” at Tall Clover Farm.

Buddy, a regular practitioner of meditation, prefers mornings of solitude, chased with a hearty bowl of dog chow.
Shotgun-riding safety officer, Buddy, spots for lurking deer and hapless drivers.
English bulldog's bottom
Named one People Magazine’s “Sexiest Dogs Alive” two years running, Buddy has retired that moniker and prefers to be known for his intellectual prowess and artful side.
Buddy, ever the social gadfly, prefers his afternoon tea at Snapdragon Cafe and Bakery. As a regular, he lays claim to the booth closest to frequent pets and wayward crumbs.
When it comes to breakfast, lunch and dinner, Buddy’s internal time clock rivals that of a fine Swiss timepiece.
bulldog reading
Buddy, my sensitive lug, loves a good read, but he knew where “Old Yeller” was headed the minute he turned the first page.
buddy the bulldog chew toy
Emerging artist Buddy, works diligently on his latest sculpture, “Nursery Pot Deconstructed.”
Comfortable at last…Buddy 1: Dog bed 0
The faceplant: Buddy’s response to my rainy-day inquiry, “Do you have to go outside?”
Ever resourceful, Buddy takes advantage of an empty chair with a lower rung to speed his ascent and claim to Mount Tablemess.
Buddy’s superpower: a look that melts my resolve into a puddle of acquiescence.

So long from Buddy and Tom, and here’s to good friends, whether two-legged or four-legged, feathered or furred.

Eileen of Livingtastefully.com
Update: My friend and fellow bulldog booster Eileen painted this wonderful portrait of Buddy. She’s also an amazing baker. Visit her blog at livingtastefully.com or her instagram @eileen_et_bisous.

27 COMMENTS

  1. You are a bull dog ambassador extraordinaire. I never really understood the appeal of this breed until I started reading your blog. It almost makes me want to…. well no, I’ll enjoy bulldogs vicariously through your words and especially those wonderful photos!

    • Perri, Buddy is humbled by your kind and insightful remarks. He wanted to make sure you knew that before he went back to bed. Thank you on his (and my) behalf.

  2. This is a delightful assemblage of the many faces of Buddy – I can just imagine the two of you discussing which ones would be shown here. I await the day when Buddy has his own blog; what will he have to say about his best friend Tom? Perhaps something like ” There is a man named Tom, who has the most extraordinary bulldog named Buddy. And they lived happily ever after.”

    • Susan, Buddy thinks you nailed the narrative, one that can’t be improved upon. That being the case, he’s retired to his dog bed and thanks you for your kind help in checking that item off his list.

  3. Good morning Tom and Buddy!
    It is such a delight to read an update on one of my favorite bulldogs. I volunteer with Bulldog Haven NW, and we do rescue lots of bulldogs, and I have fostered more than I can count, and as you can contest every last one is unique and has such an individual personality. The more you know of them, the more you cannot resist. Thank you both for showing what a wonderful companion a bulldog can be. (please make sure people understand that many of them have many health and social issues, and that anyone should research the breed and talk to someone with experience before getting one.) Thank you I love your blog!

    • Absolutely Charlotte, and thank you for fostering this special breed of dog. They can be pricey and problematic bruts in the health department. So far I’ve been lucky with all my dogs and I didn’t have to liquidate my art collection to pay for Vet bills. 😉

  4. what a wonderful pup buddy is! i am enjoying every minute with my new winnie. we just brought her back from her first trip to snow country. it was a great success! i love this post!

  5. How totally enjoyable to read this little tale of the two of you. You have found the perfect child, companion and friend. sigh….

  6. A blog devoted entirely to Buddy – and about time too! 🙂 I just can’t imagine life without a dog to lift one’s spirits, make one giggle and melt one’s heart! One of the saddest things about living in Monreal during this, the coldest snap in over a hundred years, is reading about homeless people with dogs, who find their dogs unwelcome in the various cafes around town, and even in low-cost housing. So I was very touched by the picture of Buddy thoroughly at home in the Snapdragon Cafe and Bakery. Good for these great folks who understand both dogs and humans! All the best to you both for a happy year together in 2018!

  7. Thank you, Tom! (and Buddy, of course). What a delight, Cynthia and I laughed all through it. I have a special place in my heart for bulldogs as well. My mother raised them when I was a small child, and some of my earliest memories are of hanging off the side of one, being dragged (in a kindly way) around the living room. My Irish grandmother, on the other hand – a formidable woman of tremendous force – was intimidated by bulldog Penny, the female in the house who actually ran things. Thanks for reminding me of so much goodness.

    • Michael, what a wonderful recollection. Thanks for sharing it, I could picture the whole thing. Hmmm, I think there’s a screenplay here Michael.

  8. Thanks for taking the time to post these great images of Buddy.
    This was my speck of brightness on a dreary morn.
    With the world in shambles, if one follows news or the human condition lately, this is truly the only post this morning that made me smile.
    I went right over to my pup and gave him a big hug for being the light in life too. They way you feel about bulldogs, is how I feel about German Shepherds. I’m on number 2 now, 6 mo. old already and time is flying by, they grow so fast.
    Thanks again Tom!

    • Thank you Chris. Sometimes I’m hesitant to share a post, and then I get a note like yours that tells me sharing sweet things from everyday life (bulldogs included) can provide a smile or bright spot. So thank you for saying so. Cheers, Tom

  9. It’s always a red-letter day when a post from Tall Clover Farm arrives in my mailbox and this post is tops. The pictures are priceless but especially the rainbow-spattered Buddy. Thank you for sharing your grand guy with us. I’m wishing you both all the best in this new year.

    • Thank you so much Stephanie. Your kind words and bulldog love will keep ’em coming from this very grateful farmer. Well wishes to you in the New Year, too!

  10. Touching post Tom. there is such goodness in a dog, I often watch people walking their little canines, and though the owner might be visibly burdened by some vicissitude or another, their dog is totally awake, full of eagerness, and serving as a reminder of what it is to embody the joy of life. Other dogs seem a bit more jaded and curmudgeonly at first glance, I imagine Buddy is one, but that goodness and joy is definitely there, a little more below the surface, but never hidden from one with the eyes to see it.

    Nice to read another post from you! Keep em coming 😊👋

    • Fine observation, Forrest. You know it’s funny, all my other bulldogs garnered attention on our walks or visits to town, but Buddy, well Buddy takes it to another level, like a four-legged rock star. In person, he has charisma, some sort of “it” factor that brings folks from across the street to meet and pet him. Kids love him, elders too, and everyone in between. He may look a little reserved or haughty in some photos, but Buddy brings it in the unconditional love department, butt wiggles and sloppy kisses notwithstanding. Great to hear from you Forrest.

  11. Tom, your Buddy is like medicine. The pictures of him are so precious. My favorites….the meditation, bulldog on the table, bulldog in the cafe and bulldog in the car. I must say, you are living my dream down there on Vashon!!!

    • Erin, Buddy and I appreciate your keen insight and kind words. 🙂 I feel very lucky to live where I live and do what I do, so thank you very much, Erin. Here’s to your dream. It only took me 50 years to make it happen.

  12. Buddy! Oh,Buddy! I especially love the patch of fine,velvet fur on top of your head. Once I started petting you there it was very hard to stop! Also your delayed comedic timing…..a couple times I’d address you and it seemed like you didn’t hear me. Suddenly, a good ten seconds later, you’d jump/jolt in response! Hilarious! And such a sweetheart. It’s hard to understand how you can get on the table by yourself–nimbleoy!

    • Jean, Buddy can’t hop in the truck, but he has no trouble head-butting a chair with a lower rung into position to act as his ladder to the top of Mt. Olympus, a.k.a. the kitchen table.

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