Ol’ Buddy’s bark blog now on Facebook

I’ve written about my faithful dog Ol’ Buddy in the past.  The response was phenomenal. Apparent-ly, a lot of folks love their pets and enjoyed what I wrote. 

It seems everywhere I take Ol’ Buddy, his reputation precedes him. Even people he’s never met, greet him like a long lost friend.

When I travel without the little critter, people ask, “How’s Ol’ Buddy?”

So I decided to put the pooch on Facebook. Ol’ Buddy and I were a little hesitant about going “virtual,”  but within the first few hours, he had as many Facebook friends as I did.

All of a sudden, he’s getting friend requests from people we don’t know. He’s being asked for his paw-d-graph by fans. Soon he’ll be ready to negotiate terms for his first book. He’s also lobbying for a convertible the next time we buy a car.

Ol’ Buddy is mindful about his postings on Facebook, because he doesn’t want to overload people with too many Buddy-ism and puppy humor. So he only sends out a couple of updates each day.  

Ol’ Buddy doesn’t talk for just anybody, nor is he a very good typist, so I have to do the interpretation and updates for him. But I’ve learned through our private conversations that he is wise beyond his years, and he’s excited about sharing his take on life.

For instance, Jilda and I were recently reading a story in the paper about all the drugs being given to kids to modify their behavior.  Apparently, there are a lot of young ’ns out there who have behavior issues. 

Most people who spend time at shopping malls or grocery stores can testify to this fact. Almost every time you go, you see examples of kids careening down the aisles wreaking havoc. My mama would have whipped me with a rose bush had I behaved this way when I was a kid.

As we sat drinking our coffee and reading this story, Ol’ Buddy became interested. After a few grunts and a scratch or two, I realized what he was saying. “Some kids don’t know how to behave because they’ve never been taught. Their folks let the television do the babysitting and the kids eat too much junk food. Heck, fresh roadkill would be better for them than most of the stuff they eat today,” he explained. That put a nasty visual in my head, but I had to agree that there was truth to what Ol’ Buddy said.

He went on to say that decent food and three days in obedience school would do a world of good for these kids. 

Ol’ Buddy also had advice about another issue that’s in the news. “I know I'm just a dog, but here is what I think: any politician that runs around cheatin’ on their mates at the expense of the taxpayer should be neutered. Heck, I’m single and I got neutered for chasing a Pomerania and I didn’t even spend anybody’s money!”

I thought to myself, now this is a different approach that just might encourage politicians to behave too.

I asked Buddy what other advice he planned to share with his new Facebook Friends. He recommended that folks always stretch when they get up in the morning and never miss a chance to take a nap in the afternoon.  Never pass up a chance to go to the bathroom, you never know when you’ll get another chance. 

You need to keep the varmints run off you property. Don’t growl unless you’re ready to bite. Lay out in the warm morning sun whenever you get a chance. Always be loyal to your friends. Take time to play every chance you get and chase a few butterflies. Drink a lot of water and never use a bank that doesn’t offer your pup a treat when you go through the drive-thru window.

You can find Ol’ Buddy on Facebook by searching for Ol’ Buddy Watson.

Rick Watson's first book is a compilation of columns. Remembering Big - Ponderings and Reflections of the
Sloss Holler Scholar now available online and will soon be available in Books A Million in the Birmingham area.
Robinson Cleaners and Ken Glover Pharmacy & Gifts in Sumiton/Dora has books for sale.
The book is also available in Jasper at Deb & Company Gifts. Arrangement will be finalized with several other vendors in and around Central Alabama. More details later.

The price is $12 with $2.50 shipping for media mail anywhere in the U.S.
Click below to buy your copy online.