The Canine Buckminster Fuller II
And his sister Bronwen Shirley Basset + Substack recommendations.
Welcome to a weekly newsletter for those who want to stay younger for longer, remaining upbeat. Written by someone who's spent the last 30 years following the science of putting that into practice. It’s paid off because I’m fit and well in my seventies. Some posts stray into other areas of my life and this is one of them. I hope you enjoy it!
The Canine Buckminster Fuller II
Buckminster Fuller II was named ironically. While the Human American philosopher, Buckminster Fuller was known as a practical thinker, the canine name-sharing version wasn’t, his humans knew him as an avid eater. Buck lived to eat. The cute sleeping puppy you see in the above pastel painting was Buck. He had the biggest paws and longest ears and you just knew there wasn’t much going on between them. But his cuteness made up for his lack of intelligence.
Buck was the second puppy of my son and his wife. He came into their lives as a companion for Bronwen Shirley Basset. Bronnie and Buck were from the same breeder, though not the same parents. They came from Wales, hence the nod to the famous Welsh singer, Shirley Bassey, in Bronnie’s name. Buck was a Lemon and White Basset Hound. I dog-sat for them often and once took a photo while he was sleeping. The above pastel painting was created from it, first penciling the outline lightly on pastel paper, and then I shaped the contours mostly with pencil pastels.
Bronnie had a somewhat haughty look and could be mean. She had Buck’s share of intelligence, outwitting him regularly When they had each been handed a chewy treat she would somehow get Buck’s too and guard it. He didn’t dare try to retrieve it. He was bigger than her but he feared her anger, so he watched and waited in misery while she made much of enjoying gnawing at hers until a human came to the rescue.
The pair always shared a bed, it had to be a large bed as they were big dogs. If Bronnie was already there, Buck would turn around and reverse in very slowly and cautiously so as not to upset his sleeping, short-tempered companion. If he woke her or annoyed her on his journey into his place next to her, she would nip his rear end, which made him yelp.
There was a time when the pair were left alone while my son was at work and his wife was out. Buck was bored and hungry, he knew where the food supply was kept. Despite not usually being very bright, Buck became a genius when it came to seeking ways to get to food. My son came home from work to find a very poorly Buck, stuffed full of illicitly obtained food, in great pain because he ate until he couldn’t eat any more and became ill. A vet that would be open late had to be sought and the very distressed Buck was taken to see him. Fortunately, this painful binge caused no long-term damage, but neither did it him off food.
When he was middle aged he developed a problem with his back that took a lot of time and money to correct. There were many consultations and eventually a diagnosis followed by an operation on his spine to correct the issue. This, sadly, is a common problem with dogs with long backs. Walking became very painful for Buck until the surgery put things right again.
As he went into the final years of his life his desperation for food became worse and ways had to be found to make him eat more slowly as he virtually inhaled his meals. Bronnie lost her domination over him as his fear of her dissipated and he fought back when she took his treats. Old age seemed to bring courage for him, or was it just desperation?
Despite Buck being the younger of the two he died first. At the age of 11, he became doubly incontinent and slow and the time came when his quality of life was much diminished. Saying goodbye to him was heartwrenching but the right thing to do. Without her constant companion, Bronnie seemed to develop doggie dementia as she often seemed confused. She would sit in her bed gazing at the door, as though waiting for someone to come through it. No doubt, she missed her life companion. Less than a year later Bronnie died too. They were such characters individually and their relationship was fascinating to watch.
Substack Recommendations
These are a few of the newsletters I subscribe to and recommend you to check them out.
Wellgevity Warrior with Daria Diaz
An Artist in Her Flow by Susan Mills
The Ageing Optimist by Lindsey Dickson
Next week my post will be about music and its importance in my life. It will be the first in a three-part series, though each part won’t be posted consecutively as I still have to work on parts 2 and 3. The first part is about the 50s and 60s. I know many of you are of my generation or thereabouts so the music I mention in the first part, the 50s and 60s, may well be familiar to you. It was such a fabulous time for music that I’m sure those of you of younger generations will also have heard much of it.
Did you have a dog with such character that it left an indelible imprint on you, the way Buck and Bronnie did on their humans?
Does anyone else have, or has had a Basset Hound?
Have you known a dog with an insatiable appetite?
I’d love to know in the comments what you thought of this post. Tap the heart icon if you enjoyed it.
Firstly. thank you so much, Patricia, for the mention, how kind of you. Buck sounds like he was such a lovely character, if a little naughty on the food front! Pets leave a such a mark on our lives don't they?I'm absolutely dreading the time when Freddie, our dog goes. He loves his food too but he does like the most peculiar things - he will do anything for a few segments of orange, he sits in front of me drooling when I'm eating one, the same with dried figs. And I made the mistake once of putting a little chocolate in each of the 24 advent houses on the Christmas tree . When I came down in the morning the tree was spread all over the floor, minus the chocolates. We love them really! Thank you again.x
Woof! Thank you for sharing Buck and Bronnie. I give my cats their treats individually and guard them to avoid the others from trying to steal them. Yes, I'm a treat police!