It is with great sadness Chris Duncan and Louise Godar announce the passing of our beloved Australian Shepherd Puddy. Puddy Pujols Duncan moved to the next level of his journey on Sunday morning June 2, 2019.
Puddy was born January 1, 2004, in Joshua Tree, CA. His time on earth spanned 15 years 5 months and 1 day. An incredibly long life for a dog of his size. We believe Puddy had good genes, but Puddy also made sure to constantly take care of himself. Puddy was very attentive to his jobs and missed nothing. Including his exercise which included walks, soccer ball chasing in and out of the house, tug of war with humans and dogs, and many visits to the dog parks which he demanded regularly.
When Louise picked the dog to be named later “The Big Guy” from a group of Australian Shepherd puppies in Joshua Tree, she asked which was the smallest and laziest. The breeders immediately pointed to the red tri color male. On the hour drive to Puddy’s new home in Palm Desert, CA, Louise fell immediately in love, dad (I) took some additional time. I remember Puddy nestling up to Louise putting his little head on Louise’s shoulder like the baby he was. The loving lifelong bond between Puddy and his mother was created immediately.
It did not take long to learn Puddy was far from lazy and we would have our hands full. We would also later find out he would not be the smallest either. After only a few days we saw the habits of shepherds. There were multiple miscellaneous tools around the backyard. Louise and I noticed Puddy had been outside in the backyard for an unusual amount of time. When we went to check on him, Puddy had dragged the tools from different areas to the center of the backyard and was laying proudly with his herd of tools. Job complete. I asked Puddy, “why did you do that?” He answered with a staring glare that went right through me, “I miss nothing.” Puddy is very serious about being serious. I cannot imagine how much work Puddy put into this activity because he was so small and the tools were very much larger than he was ON THAT DAY.
Puddy grew into a very large Australian Shepard. After we got Puddy we started doing more research on the Australian Shepard. We learned of the Australian Shepard’s height and weight range and were happy we had gotten one on the smaller end. Or at least we thought. Puddy grew to be at the top of the height and at the top of expected weight. Although, dad helped a little too much getting the now appropriately named. . . The Big Guy. . . to the top of his weight. One day in his second year with us, we took Puddy to the vet and we were told (more accurately. . . dad was told) Puddy was approaching the top of what his weight should be. But we were assured he was still well within normal and not anywhere near “fat.” So, we continued for our next scheduled stop to get Puddy his post vet visit treat at the dog bakery. While inside a woman mentioned my big guy was fat. I am sure she mentioned it in a way that was well-meaning and fun, but that is not what I heard. I heard her telling The Big Guy he was fat, and Chris Duncan was not going to stand for that. Chris Duncan nicely and sternly (at least in my mind) let the woman know we had just returned from the vet and Puddy was deemed well within a recommended weight for a dog of his size. If you believe this lady got off that easy then you don’t know Chris Duncan That was my first experience of unconditional love and protection for a child. I was on my way to insane dog parent status.
Louise also started moving into the insane dog parent department as well. Louise had her parent instincts raised while with Puddy at the dog park. Puddy was having a wonderful time trying to herd the other dogs when a lady came up to Louise and asked if she could say something about Puddy. Louise politely told her “no” (again, if you believe that you don’t know Louise) and the lady went away. A few moments later I saw the woman returning. I looked at the situation with excitement because I knew Louise and this was going to be good. The woman brought up the same question, Louise again politely answered “no.” The woman began to tell Louise anyway about Puddy’s advanced weight. Louise then, as only Louise can do, looked directly at the woman and said with biting and cutting tone, “come on Puddy. . . Let’s get away from the crazy lady.” Louise calmly gathered The Big Guy and said okay Chris it’s time to go. Puddy enjoyed all of the dogs at the dog park. He loved herding them and getting into the small kiddie pools provided for a quick cooling off. Puddy loved all dogs except one type. We don’t know why, but while at the dog park he would always harass small white dogs. This will always be Puddy’s secret.
Puddy like most dogs has a love for the water. The Big Guy first learned his swimming skills from his cousin Buddy. Buddy is a rescue dog my sister got for her five kids. Puddy and Buddy were best friends in Palm Desert. Both were responsible for caring for each other when their insane parents were gone on trips. Puddy’s first experience with swimming was at my sister’s house in her swimming pool. Buddy was accustomed to regular swims with five kids and was first to jump in on his play date. The five kids were quick to follow. Puddy needed a little time in asses what exactly was going on. Puddy had been “swimming” before, but that was only laying in his adult sized water bowl as a puppy. A water bowl he used his whole life. Puddy is very serious about being serious and swimming was new. The Big Guy finally figured how to get himself into the pool to enjoy on the new found fun. Once in the pool he was getting used to how he felt in the water. If you didn’t know Australian Shepherds don’t have tails and that made it a little more difficult for The Big Guy to make the turns. It is extremely enjoyable to watch Puddy swim, it is one of our favorite things. While in the pool he would swim at a normal pace, but being competitive, when his human cousins would challenge him to the race he couldn’t help but to speed up his pace in an effort to catch the kids. When you watched Puddy swim with his human cousins and friend Buddy, you couldn’t help but notice and laugh Puddy trying his best to herd everyone in the pool where he wanted them to be. Puddy’s learned swimming skills served him well with his move to Columbia. Many of the dog park areas here in Columbia have ponds and lakes for the dogs to enjoy. The lakes were an added benefit for us as insane dog parents, because they certainly helped puddy keep up his physical endurance and tired him out for a good night sleep.
Puddy acquired a second nickname, “The Mayor,” when we moved from Palm Desert, CA to Columbia, MO. Puddy acquired “The Mayor” tag because of his hosting to many dog-centered events. He was the host to many of his own birthday party’s at his home in Columbia. Along with playing host for many of his friend’s birthday parties as well. Puddy Parties, as they were called, became very popular. One Puddy Party even had an appearance, albeit brief, by Senko the Cat. Louise is a wonderful party planner and surely took dog birthday party planning to the next level. One birthday she needed to make 17 dog goodie bags and still fell short with unexpected guests. Many human children that attended a Puddy birthday party were asking their parents on the way home why their own party didn’t have the events Puddy had. I’m sure their answer was, “because we are not insane dog parents.” If one of Puddy’s dog friends was to have their party at Puddy’s house, their parents knew they were going to have to up their hosting duties. Puddy, of course, was there to greet all of the visitors at the front door with a menacing welcoming bark (more on Puddy’s bark a little later). His bark would scare off many who were not knowing of Puddy’s loving nature, but those “in the know,” knew it meant you were part of his pack and you were welcome to enter.
Being The Mayor also included special duties. Puddy was called upon to supervise Ginger while her insane parents were enjoying themselves across Europe on their honeymoon. Louise and I were only the human supervisors. It was The Mayor who was solely responsible for the monitoring of Ginger. Puddy made sure Ginger knew when it was time for dinner, time to play soccer ball and adherence to the routine. Puddy’s only need for his humans was because of his lack of a thumb. Puddy was also responsible for the raising of his cousin Jax the King Charles. Jax’s mischievousness is a story unto himself. Many times during the night Puddy needed to use all of his herding skills to coax Jax from the backyard to return inside. Jax is a crafty elusive dog no human could corral. So much so, Jax needed to get a special collar with a light so the humans could find him in the backyard during the dark winter months in Missouri. The Big Guy joyfully handled all of his jobs and duties because he missed nothing.
We are very lucky to have met a group of insane dog people in Columbia. Because of Puddy’s many friends, he almost always stayed within the healthy range with his weight. We would receive many comments about his weight over the years and was a sensitive issue for us because we cared about his health very much. We also believe the Blue Buffalo brand of food we began to feed Puddy in Columbia helped with his weight. Puddy on a few occasions had a big reading on the scale, but we would always focus on trimming his extra food intake (pizza among other goodies) and found the right combination for a continued healthy weight. We like to have Puddy’s hair shaved as much as possible, especially during the summer months. This also garnered a nickname from his cousin’s “GI Puddy.” People that saw Puddy for the first time with his hair in full plume would comment on his weight, even when he was in the healthy range. But when they saw Puddy after his “GI Puddy” shaving would be extremely surprised how trim and fit he was. Anyone who walked Puddy knew The Big Guy was an extremely strong dog.
Puddy if you haven’t figured out loves pizza. His grandfather Wally started his love of pizza in Palm Desert. Giving Puddy little squares in his dog bowl. Wally never eats pizza to this day without thinking of The Big Guy. We knew Puddy would enjoy Columbia on the first day when we moved. Louise’s siblings helped us with the move and afterward, we ordered four Imo’s pizzas. While outside to say goodbye to Louise’s family, Puddy ate all of the pizzas. However, The Big Guy being a health-conscious dog, made sure to keep his carb intake at a minimum by only enjoying the toppings.
One job Puddy demanded was retrieving the daily newspaper in Columbia. Many households get the newspaper as a source of staying abreast of local events. Puddy’s insane parents saw it as a perfect opportunity for The Big Guy to have another much-needed job, because remember we got the lazy dog. On occasion we happened to forget the nightly duty of “the paper,” he would let us know of our gross lack of attention to detail very rapidly. He would give us the look to say “hey, you’re doing it wrong”. Meaning, you are not sticking to the nightly routine. He would give us many looks, but many times he looked at us and told us, “I didn’t make the rules, but you will follow them.”
More about Puddy’s bark. Nobody who met Puddy will forget his powerful bark. His bark easily echoes throughout the house with each menacing “Barbaric Yawp”. Long after the echoes of Puddy’s bark had ceased bouncing off the walls, you would still hear “Wally the tin Giraffe” ringing from the soundwaves Puddy created for several extra seconds. If you were not expecting to hear his barbaric yawp, it could certainly scare you to the roof as it did on many occasions for his insane dog parents and our cats Laddie and Baboo (anyone seeing a small Seinfeld theme). On more than one happening the unsuspecting UPS man would deliver a package to the door and ring the bell. Immediately, as if he had been tracking the package on the internet, The Big Guy would spring into full barbaric yawp. Puddy missed nothing. We saw several times that poor UPS man running back to his big brown truck as if he were Big Brown himself. It is a wonder we ever got a pizza because they were equally as frightened.
Puddy is very caring to the wellbeing of others. Even though he has a powerful bark, he has no interest in having a bite to match it. Puddy brought to our attention a bird in need in his backyard. This bird certainly fell in the right spot with insane dog parents and Puddy living there. Louise is a student of her dog Puddy and is a thorough study of Puddy. Louise noticed Puddy focusing on a chic lying still in the grass. The bird may have been petrified, but it had Puddy calling for help. Louise went to investigate and went as far as to call the humane society about a young bird that might be dying. The humane society conveyed the bird was probably learning to fly and the best course of action was to leave it be. Louise let Puddy stay with the young bird knowing Puddy would protect it if necessary. Soon afterward Puddy trotted inside with the all clear sign. Louise went back to check on the bird and it was gone. Puddy missed nothing.
As Puddy began to advance in years we noticed The Big Guy start to miss a few things here and there. His demand for the dog park was the first to go. He would miss a knock on the door as his hearing diminished. When it was time for a barbaric yawp, it was no longer there for him. He would miss the door slamming of his mom and dad coming home and we would have to go greet him laying on his special futon, instead of Puddy greeting us. He would miss an occasional squirrel or rabbit in the backyard to chase. To The Big Guys credit of his devotion to his job, he chased a rabbit in his backyard right up to the end with his modified gallup for his back legs. Puddy’s mind totally intact, his back legs were giving way to the natural progression of life. Making the everyday duties more difficult by the day.
Louise and I were the insane dog parents for sure as you can see. Everything had to revolve around Puddy. Puddy was the joy of his mom and dad’s life. Especially with Louise. Louise was incredibly nurturing and protective of her “big guy.” I marveled at how she would care for Puddy and how she would study his every move. Louise was perfectly in tune with all of his moods and I swear she knew his every thought by each small tilt of his head. Louise cared for Puddy tremendously from when he was a puppy right through to the end. Louise made the very difficult last decisions for Puddy to make sure he was always taken care of to the fullest with the dignity he deserved (if you met Puddy you know he demanded it).
Louise and I want to extend a grateful thank you to all that enjoyed and shared time with the best dog in the world. Puddy was very lucky to have many friends and we were more lucky to be Puddy’s insane dog parents. We would like to acknowledge Puddy’s extended family at Senior Marketing Specialists. The family atmosphere created by the leaders at SMS is what inspired Puddy Parties. It is important to single out a few human only mentions. To Jada McKenzie for always being a supporter in Puddy’s life and well being. Mike and Maegan Gattorna deserve an extra acknowledgment for always being there when Puddy needed extra help, especially right up to the end. To Laura and Mike Brennan for their extra thoughtful gifts remembering Puddy’s life and time with us. Lastly and certainly not least, we would like to say a loving thank you to some of Puddy’s friends and their insane dog parents, Buddy (Staci, Dana, Jonathan, Cortni, Ricky, Billy & Viona) Mia (Kelli), Cooper (Andrea), Jax (Sarah), Boone, Atlas and Brinkley, (Amanda & Shawn), Ginger (Rachel & Ben), Stark (Josh & Jen), Duke and Mac (Olivia & Chad), Hershey (Brittany), Otis (Mike & Maegan), Hans (Matt & Sedel), Diamond (Jessica and Kevin), Leo (Lucy), Gemma (Rebecca & Ty), Senko the Cat (Andrew & Elyce). We know there are some we have not mentioned, but there are so many of Puddy’s friends.
Thank you for sharing and making the time with our Big Guy Puddy extra special,