I looked down and saw something. It was furry and it even kind of looked like my Bubber that my ex gave away to his girlfriend's cousin. My sweet Bubber, who I tried time and time again to get back. Everyone said I should just forget about Bubber and get another dog. However, all I wanted was my Bubber Bear back.

I looked at the animal lying in the grass and slowly put my hand on his head. He looked up at me as if he was just coming out of a daze. "Come on little fella," I said, "it's going to snow tonight and you'll die out here."

I knocked on every door on the way home. The dog had a very dirty pink collar and he yelped when we tried to cross the street. It seemed as if he yelped every time we saw a car. I brought him to the apartment manager's office and asked her if anyone lost a dog. She said no, but there was a sign outside that advertised a lost, black dog. I called the number and waited for a reply.

I called Spokanimal and asked if I could keep the dog at my apartment until the owner showed up because I didn't want the old pup to have to be in the shelter for Christmas. They said yes, but that the dog sounded hurt and that I had to take him to a vet. A friend told me to just call Spokanimal and have the dog picked up because I could not afford to take care of a dog. I called Spokanimal and when the officer told me to put the dog in the cage, the dog looked at me and the cage and gave a "here we go again, dejected and lonely look". I turned my head and cried uncontrollably. He looked just as I felt. Old and left alone.

I ran up three flights of steps and called Spokanimal to see if I could adopt the dog. They said I had to wait three days. I prayed every day that the dog would be alright. A man called me and apologized for not calling me sooner. He was the one who put up the sign for the lost dog. He did find his dog, only it was dead. He had been very depressed. He decided to go to Spokanimal and see if he could find a kitten for his daughter for Christmas. He offered to take me to go get my dog since I didn't have a car.

When the day came, he arrived wearing a Santa Claus hat and he looked just like Santa Claus. We went into Spokanimal and I searched and searched for my dog. I must have unknowingly caused quite a stir. I finally found him. A worker had hidden him in with the puppies because she knew I wanted him and she knew it was first come, first serve. I was so glad to find him. It was hard to keep from crying. Everyone around me kept asking, "hey, did you find your dog?" "Yes," I replied happily, "this is my Christmas present!"

It felt like a reunion with an old Buddy and that is why I named him Buddy. When I led Buddy to the truck, I noticed he got in happily this time. He knew he was going home for good. The apartment manager always smiled when she saw us walking together and would tell visitor's, "I don't know who saved who's life, I think they're even Steven."

A vet told me that the dog was part Schnauzer, part Scottish Terrier, perhaps a little bit of Wire-haired Terrier. He was between six and seven years of age and had been through a lot of trauma. He had an enlarged heart, a small liver and had been repeatedly kicked. He said I wasn't looking at a dog with a long life span.

Well, that was in December of 1995, this is December of 2000 and Buddy is doing just fine. Incidentally, I got Bubber back in July of 1996 and that is why my email is Bevbubberbuddy. What do you think of Bevbubbud for a license plate?