|
"When a man's best friend is his
dog, that dog has a problem."
Edward
Abbey (1927-1989)
ANCHORAGE, AK (USA) — "A
dog is about as close to a human being as you can get, and for us,
Buddy will just become part of our family," said Mayor Jim Brewer
just before he took the heroic dog "Buddy" home on Mar. 7,
amid praise and good wishes from the Alaskan Peninsula community.
A month later, Brewer had his new "family" put to sleep
at the Anchorage Animal Control facility.
Buddy, the dog that stole Alaska's heart, had made international
headlines in March when he led search parties to the body of his dead
master Bill Hitchcock, 45. Bill had been killed by a
falling tree, and for 12 days the  grieving Labrador stayed by the
man's body in the remote wilderness of Knight Island (see
Mar. 6).
Following the news of Buddy's amazing dedication and loyalty,
roughly
1000 inquiries poured in from across the country from people eager to adopt the
orphaned dog.
Bill's neighbors, Roger and Marilyn Stowell, gave Buddy to
Jim Brewer, Mayor of Chignik village, stressing "if it didn't
work out, I wanted Buddy back" (said Ms. Stowell).
This week, details emerged that Buddy was surrendered to Anchorage
Animal Control on April 11, marked "ineligible for adoption"
and euthanized 11 days
thereafter. According to Brewer, the dog (who had spent his
entire life alone with Bill on the isolated island) was not adapting well
to his new environment.
''It turns out he was a super alpha male who had never been properly
socialized with people,'' Brewer said. ''Everybody tried to put the best light
possible on Buddy in hopes there was a small chance things would have
worked out."
The man said he left Buddy with a family in Anchorage for several
days. Upon returning to pick up the dog, he said it was
exhibiting aggressive behavior. That same morning at an Anchorage
hotel, Brewer and Buddy had it out.
|
Vaya con Dios, Buddy Boy.
At least you don't have to live with that jerk anymore. (Photo: Herald
Sun)
''I took him for a walk after dinner," said Brewer.
"Then he sat down on the floor and after about five minutes had this
bored look on his face. "I was watching TV in the hotel. He
stood by the door, and I said, 'No.' He turned around on me with a
challenging stare, lifting his lips, and started to growl."
Brewer decided to lock Buddy in the car.
"As I was pushing him into the car, he turned to bite at me and
... bit down and ripped through my hand,'' Brewer told reporters.
While the man went to the hospital for stitches, Buddy was impounded by
Animal Control where he remained until he was killed last month.
Brewer said that the loss has taken a strong emotional toll on him and his
wife. They plan to look for a new dog soon, perhaps another Lab.
Buddy, if you're up there, I hope you've finally found Bill.
§§§
Editor's note: The following contact info for
Jim Brewer was forwarded to us by a Scoop reader. It is unconfirmed.
City of Chignik
PO Box 110
Chignik, Alaska 99564
Phone: 907-749-2280
Fax: 907-749-2300
Email: r.sharpe@worldnet.att.net
Headlines
Prev  Next
|
