Old Bud

Although there were eight in the litter, about the only influence the other seven had on Bud was to compete for a nursing position.  He was a canine.  His considerable later talents make it seem disrespectful to refer to him merely as a dog.

Bud was fortunate in his parentage.  His father was a Redbone and his mother was a Bluetic.  They said the mother was full blooded and could have been registered if they had bothered.  Both parents were hunting dogs.  Bud was also fortunate to be a male, first choice to be a combination pet and hunting dog by Julius Allison, whose parents gave him permission to own a puppy.  He immediately named the puppy Bud, short for Buddy.

In the rural area where his owners lived, all dogs were allowed to live outside.  There was little traffic with no leash laws.  A hunting dog was an outside animal.  When only a puppy, Bud, for reasons known only to himself, had some compelling reason to cross the road.  His timing was flawed since he chose the moment when a rare truck was passing.  Due to his small size, his acceleration was slow.  In any event, he was struck by the truck.  Fortunately, the tires did not run over him.  They only hit him, knocking his some distance.

Luckily, Julius, his owner, was in the area and heard his protest.  He rushed o the puppy and saw that he was not breathing.  It was very cold, and he carried the dog into the house and place him in front of the fire in the hearth.  He rubbed him and tried to determine the extent of his injuries.  As Julius moved his legs, Bud burped and began to breathe.  He was given a saucer of sweet milk, which he drank and immediately spit up.  The house had a small spare room, and Bud stayed there in a cardboard box.  For several weeks, he received excellent care by his owner, the only person he saw.  Thanks to good care and the strong puppy he was, he made slow progress and eventually returned to good health.

As previously stated, during the period of convalescence the only person that Bud saw was Julius, and a strong attachment developed between them.  He was Julius's canine and no one else's.  He was trained as a hunting dog, but unless Julius was a part of the hunt, he wouldn't go.  At feeding time he did not eat with other dogs.  he separated himself and waited for the food to be given to him.  Usually this was a piece of cornbread.  It was thrown to him, and he caught it with his mouth.

Bud was now a full-grown canine.  He was large and muscular, weighing about forty pounds.  He was white with red spots and recessed Bluetick dots.  He was an excellent hunting dog, locating and chasing rabbits and squirrel in the daytime.  He didn't like to do a lot of barking unless the scent was fresh or the quarry was in sight.  Once a squirrel was treed, he would maintain his barking vigil until relieved.  When a squirrel was treed, it would hide from the hunter on the other side of the tree.  As the hunter moved around the tree, the squirrel would move also, staying out of sight.  Amazingly, Bud would go to the opposite side from the hunter and shake the bushes, creating commotion to get the squirrel to go to the hunter's side of the tree.  At night he would not chase rabbits or squirrels but would tree opossums only.

When Bud was about six years old, Julius heard of a 'coon on the log' contest.  In this event, a tree was cut and allowed to float on top of a river with a stump holding it in place.  The coon was tied in the center of the log.  Near the middle of the stream, a dog was sent to challenge the coon.  The first dog to whip the coon was declared winner and was awarded a prize.  Having great pride in his dog's ability, Julius decided to enter him in the contest.  When they arrived at the scene, an older man in overalls and a worn felt hat cautioned him, saying, “Son, that coon will kill your dog.  Don't be foolish and enter him.  The coon is in his element in the water.” Julius and second thoughts but was not deterred.  He paid the entry fee, along with several others.

The entrants were given numbers, and numbers were drawn to determine the order in which they would challenge the coon.  The coon made short work of the first two challengers.  The coon would grab the dog at the throat and pull them into the water, shaking the dog and holding him under the water.  When they came up, the dogs were beaten and anxious to return to the safety of bank.

When it was Bud's turn , Julius said, “Go and get him, Bud.” Both Bud and the coon were on the attack, grabbing each other and fighting in the water.  They disappeared under water and were out of sight for a long time.  Julius remembered the advice of the old man and feared for Bud's safety as only bubbles rose to the surface.  Finally they surfaced, at which time Bud had the coon by the throat and shaking him from side to side.  The coon was thoroughly whipped, and the contest was declared over, with Bud the winner.  Incidentally, such a contest has now been outlawed for being too cruel.

Another amazing ability Bud had was to kill poisonous snakes.  He would face the snake and move quickly toward it.  The snake would strike, but Bud would retreat quickly, making the snake miss.  Bud would then resume the fight.  Again, when the snake struck, Bud would make him miss.  This would continue for some time, until the snake was tired or Bud could time its strike.  Then, when the snake struck at him, Bud would grab it just behind his head, shaking it and crushing the vertebrae.  This was an innate ability in Bud-he'd had not training in snake killing.

Bud and Julius had enjoyed each other for some six years when Julius went to the army.  For the next two years, he was home for only fifteen days.  At the end, he was away for fifteen consecutive months.  During this time, Bud lived with Julius's wife's family in a farm in a rural area.  After Julius had been away for some time, Bud finally started hunting with the others.

After fifteen months, Julius returned.  When he got to the house, Bud was not present.  Later, when the dog returned, they decided to check Bud's reaction.  Without saying a word, Julius came out of the house onto the porch and stood silent and still.  Immediately, Bud's nose started to twitch.  He moved slowly forward and toward the scent.  His nose twitched some more and his tail began to rotate as he searched for the source of the smell.  Soon he reached Julius's shoes.  With a joyful whine, he reared up, placing his paws on Julius's chest.  Julius grabbed his dog in a bear hug, for a joyful reunion.  The surprising part is that Bud seemed to locate his owner by smell rather than by sight.

After Julius returned home, Bud immediately reverted to his old habit.  Unless Julius was one of the hunters, Bud would stay home.  Sometimes when he could not go hunting, Julius would accompany the others to the woods to get Bud to participate. He would do so, but as soon as he learned that Julius was not there, he would go home. He hunted only for his master.

Dogs, Bud and Luke.
Old Bud (top) and Luke

After they were reunited, Bud and Julius were able to enjoy each other for about ten more years. They moved to a less rural setting, and hunting became less common.  Although they lived near a busy highway, Bud had learned his lesson well.  He only crossed the road by going under a bridge.

Certainly Bud is a great example of dog's lasting love.

Bud also had a hunting , Luke, who was an excellent hunting dog.  Unfortunately for Luke, Bud was so outstanding that he could never escape from Bud's shadow.  Below are pictures of Bud and Luke on the front porch of our house in 1953.  At this time Bud was to be 19 years of age.  Luke is sitting on the steps. The second picture is Bud on the side of our old house.

Dog, Bud.
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