The Dog I Want

I’ll admit it, between cats and dogs I genuinely prefer cats. Cats are mostly self-sufficient and don’t require the constant attention that dogs do. Give a cat some food, a clean place to shit, and some attention when it wants it and it’ll be happy.

With all of that said if I were to get a pet it would be a dog because when you want quality companionship that will defend you and yours a cat isn’t going to cut it:

Nine-year-old Buster fought so hard to protect his home that he shattered several teeth as he chomped on his attacker’s hunting knife. He also suffered gashes to his throat, shoulder and jowls.

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A thief (or thieves) broke in by smashing two windows of the house on the 1800 block of E. Maryland Avenue. Cash, computers, a hunting bow, three rifles and Wagaman’s corrections uniforms were stolen. The invader turned Wagaman’s own 6-inch hunting knife on Buster, then left the bloody weapon on the kitchen table.

While the dog wasn’t successful in stopping the attackers he gave them a Hell of a fight but the sounds of it. The best part about this story though is that the dog lived:

The dog spent Thursday night at the University of Minnesota veterinary hospital and spent the weekend at home, where Wagaman fed him soft food, kept him warm and medicated with painkillers.

Buster’s Monday surgery was to repair his face wounds and to extract broken teeth.

The dog’s care exceeded $3,000 — before the latest surgery. “That’s a lot of money, but I don’t care. He’s a hero,” Wagaman said.

Employees in the St. Paul emergency communications center, who heard the initial emergency call, have already raised $500 to help. A fund has been set up for Buster’s care in his name at any Wells Fargo branch. The “Buster Fund” is account No. 642-89-22-071.

If I had a dog that fought that hard to defend my home you can bet I’d have little trouble spending $3,000.00 to return it to health. Stories like this are why I want to own a dog some day. While they’re a decent amount of work and expensive they’re still called man’s best friend for a reason.