What better topic to start up the blog in the New Year: reliving the experiences of having a family pet. On Saturday, January 23, 2010 , Claudia and I were reminiscing about Buffy - who lived a long dog life with the active Siulinski family. This post is a result of that conversation.
Mom and Dad were hesitant for a long time to get a dog probably because Mom thought she’d be taking care of it all the time – another “child” to raise. Claudia points out that Buffy was initially named “Bufferin” to refer to the headaches that Mom would be getting!
With six kids, there were bound to be alliances formed and in order to get a dog added to the family, it was necessary for more than one kid to advocate for it. So Claudia and I became the activists for the cause, but we also needed an opportunity of where we would find the perfect pet. The opportunity came when one of Claudia’s friends had a pet that recently had a large litter. Claudia and I rushed over to Gorham to check it out. The year must have been around 1970. Buffy was the first puppy in the litter to come right over to Claudia and I so the match was made instantly.
Buffy was both a lazy dog (read about Claudia’s memories in the next paragraph) and an active, energetic one or should I use the word – frantic? For some reason, when shown the door, she’d bolt for the great outdoors usually returning in one or two hours soaking and smelling from some conquest mucking through the gully behind our house…hence the acquisition of Mom’s headaches. I used to wonder why Buffy would always run away from the property when given the chance – was it to get away from this crazy family or was it to act like the animal that she was?!Buffy was a smart dog. She knew she was not supposed to be on the couch but she found a way. She actually enjoyed the comfort of our furniture on a regular basis, usually at night. In the morning, somehow she could tell who was coming down the stairs. If it was one of us kids, she’d stay put, but if it was Mom or Dad she’d pop off before they turned the corner!
Buffy had a love-hate relationship with riding in the car. She liked to eat leftovers, that is OUR leftovers, but she couldn't hold the human food down if a ride came after the meal. While she loved riding in the car, we learned to make sure she hadn’t eaten before. One of our favorite memories of Buffy was her jolly display on Christmas morning: she’d open the gifts herself then proudly prance around the room showing them off to everyone.
