People often overuse the term best friend as the person they feel closest to. For me, a  true best friend is not someone who looks at you, sees something they need, and is willing to play the friend role. You know who they are. The friendly acquaintances pretend to be friends for the friend’s benefit but are nowhere to be found when push comes to shove. Like when you publish your first book. They say ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Good for you’ in an email or Facebook response. They could care less about you or how much hard work you put into your book project. Two dollars and ninety-nine cents is far too much to spend when a simple ‘like’ click suffices. They’re on a strict budget yet, they spent more on a cup of coffee than your book, but I digress.

What I’m referring to is a true friend. The kind that will take on adversity in your place when they believe they are better suited. They are there every time you need them, and you feel the same about them, no matter how many times they chew up your sofa.

In my case, I’m talking about our thirty-pound French Bulldog Cocker Spaniel mix named Onyx. My daughter named him, but he goes by a myriad of names. My name for him is Bubba. It just seems to fit his personality. He is far more Bulldog than Cocker Spaniel, as the photo reveals.

 

Bubba’s Role

Bubba is a man’s dog. If you’ve ever had a dog, especially a Bulldog or a Bulldog mix, you know what I mean. When I’m not around, he’s the alpha. When my wife or daughter walks him, he’s in charge of where they go and how long they linger while he sniffs the grass. Marking follows sniffing as he must tell his rivals he stopped by. I’ve seen him face other dogs down three times his size because he’s the protector of my wife and daughter when I’m not around. The bad guys will have to get through him first.

 

Bubba’s Favorites

Bubba is infatuated with pinecones. He doesn’t eat them but rips them apart and often insists on bringing one inside to finish tearing it up on the living room carpet. He gets to do that because he’s Bubba. His house. His rules. By all measures, he is as spoiled as you can get.

In the picture, he’s lying in his favorite chair on his favorite blanket. It’s his chair. I made the mistake of sitting in it recently. He sat on the floor in front of me, making sounds like trying to communicate through language. We call it doggie babble. My wife clued me in, and I got up. He promptly got in the chair and laid down. Problem solved.

Bubba loves squirrels, or better said, chasing them. I make sure he never catches one, for his and the squirrel’s sake. I’m not sure what he would do if he did catch one. It seems the chase is what he’s after. Once they’re up the tree, he goes about sniffing.

 

Bubba’s Diet

Bubba’s diet consists of organic ground turkey, organic beef liver, and organic rice, but he also likes sweet potatoes with yogurt, all organic, of course. If you cost it out, his diet is cheaper than the expensive dog foods. Our family eats all organic, so why shouldn’t the dog for the same reason; he is a full member of the family. Also, the problem with exotic dog breeds and crosses like Bubba is they often suffer from food allergies. Turkey, liver, and rice are low allergenic, especially if organic. The yogurt is also good for his digestive system and helps with allergies as well.

For a midday snack, Bubba enjoys a freeze-dried liver treat. The brand is called PureBites. Only one ingredient, beef liver.

 

Bubba’s Day

Bubba gets up in the morning and goes out for his regular call of nature. He eats when he gets back and goes back to sleep. Sometimes he moves to the sunny spot by the window, but most of the time, he prefers his chair. Around noon, he will show up at my office door and make his doggie babble sounds to get my attention. If it weren’t for him, I would spend too much time in a chair writing.

We hit the neighborhood (we live in what I call a park setting) and take the usual path. He knows the territory, and with every stop, he leaves his calling card. He knows most of the dogs in the neighborhood and is friendly with most of them, but some not as much. He particularly dislikes large, aggressive dogs and will let them know not to venture too close. He’s the protector. The best part is we walk at least six or seven times a day for a half-mile loop.  That’s three miles a day of walking for me that I would otherwise spend in a chair compressing my spine.

 

Owning a Dog

My advice to any writer who works from home and doesn’t have a dog is to get one. They will keep you grounded in reality, force you to exercise, and be there when things aren’t going so well. They will ask nothing more in return than your attention and won’t offer insincere congratulations when you publish your first novel.