Buddy’s Rescue

Buddy was the rescue dog I wasn’t sure I wanted.

It was my idea. I sent my family to the pound to see if they had any black labs. I figured they wouldn’t, but they did — a Labrador-retriever, to be precise. Buddy came home to join our elderly lapdog who was nearing her end.

It didn’t take long for us to regret bringing Buddy home.

I don’t know what happened to Buddy before we got him, but he made life difficult. He scratched up doors. He broke through cages. He destroyed our carpet and part of a co...