Buddie was a very good boy.
By Lily Feinn
Published on April 3, 2021 at 5:45 PM
Zach Medlin was walking his dog in Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Louisiana, when he stumbled across something he’d never noticed before. A small square stone was peeking out between the fallen leaves and pine needles.
Medlin’s dog, Serena, a one-eyed Staffordshire terrier, was much more interested in chasing ducks in the nearby lake. But Medlin wanted to investigate, so he uncovered the stone.
“The inscription was covered by some pine straw,” Medlin told The Dodo. “So I had to move the pine straw out of the way to read what the grave marker had to say.”
The inscription read: “Buddie, 1928 — 1941. Born a dog / Died a gentleman.”
Medlin wondered what this dog was doing buried in a 160-acre public park all by himself.
From the touching inscription, Medlin could tell Buddie was a great dog who was deeply loved by his family all those years ago.
“It warms my heart to know that Buddie carried his owners through the Great Depression,” Medlin said. “All dogs deserve a grave marker.”
Local legend has it that the park used to be a summer camp for the Boy Scouts, and that a dog named Buddie was their mascot. One day, a boy swimming in the lake started to drown. Buddie spotted the boy and started barking, alerting the other Scouts, who were able to save the boy.
However, research seems to disprove this myth. “While I was reading newspaper clippings detailing the legend, I found a copy of a handwritten note dated October 18, 1993,” Lora Peppers wrote on Findagrave.com. “It says the following: ‘According to Mrs. Dee Strickland, the dog belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Albert H. Jones, 215 Breard St., Monroe. Mrs. Strickland lived with the Jones [family] in 1932. The dog was a beautiful Irish setter. Mr. Jones frequently took him to Kiroli Park to run, so when he died, he decided to bury him in Kiroli Park.’”
Whether the dog was a hero to a group of Boy Scouts or just his family, Buddie was clearly a very good boy. And the sweet memorial allows his memory to live on.
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- Daily Dodo
- Pets
Pet Parent Feels Seen When Artist Adds Surprise ‘Little Guy’ On Back Of Dog Portrait
Such an adorable detail
By Alana Francis-Crow
Abby Gail Davailus, a pet-portrait artist, likes to make her pieces as personalized as possible. When she starts preparing to work on one of her commissioned paintings, she asks the pet parents to share as many photos and personality traits about their animal as possible.
“I’ll send a questionnaire and get all the details,” Davailus told The Dodo. “I’m like, ‘I want to know everything that you want to tell me about your pet.’”
Every pet parent knows how important an animal’s favorite toy is to them. As such, Davailus includes an option to add a painting of the animal’s favorite toy on the back of the canvas.
“I want the client to know that I see their pet,” Davailus said. “I’m not just regurgitating an image.”
Davailus recently created a portrait of a pup named Bo. When she finished the painting, she was reviewing the reference photos the client had sent over when something in one of the pictures caught her eye. In the corner of the image, she saw the dog’s little blue toy crumpled up on the floor and instantly knew it was special.
“[Y]ou can always tell when a toy is the favorite,” Davailus said.
Even though Bo’s mom hadn’t specifically requested that his toy be included in the painting, as soon as Davailus saw the little blue plushie, she couldn’t resist painting him on the back of the canvas.
“[He’s] just a little guy … The little googly eyes made me so happy,” Davailus wrote on Instagram.
Bo’s mom described her pup as a big, silly teddy bear, so adding a toy detail to the artwork just seemed fitting. When Davailus sent along the final update to the client, she completely agreed.
“I sent her the final update and she was like, ‘I’m crying. I’m so glad you spotted that. He loves it. Such a nice final touch,’” Davailus said.
Davailus shared her painting with her Instagram audience, and the post ended up going viral. Hundreds of people left comments sharing their own pets’ favorite toys, and Davailus was deeply moved.
Davailus originally started doing pet portraits after her soul dog, Boldie, passed away. Hearing stories about other people’s pets helped her along her healing journey. So with all of her portraits, she gets just as much out of them as her clients do.
“It’s very gratifying and very rewarding as an artist,” Davailus said.
To keep up with Davailus, you can follow her on Instagram.
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The cage was tiny, and they were piled on top of each other.
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