Buddy: A Farm in the Forest Story

One of the realities for those living in rural areas is that some people often use these less populated settings as dumping grounds for unwanted pets, especially dogs/puppies and cats/kittens, in the mistaken belief that the animals will be able to fend for themselves. Buddy is based on the true story of a Shih Tzu that was apparently abandoned in a forested area of Saskatchewan and made its way to a farm where it was ultimately adopted by a farmer, her husband and their five children.

As author Wagmann doesn’t know the dog’s backstory prior to his arrival on their farm, she creates a believable one involving the dog’s original loving, but ailing owner who passed the dog on to someone who, much less enamored with the animal, elected to abandon it in the forest. The fictional aspect of the story continues with the dog’s making its way to the farm where a friendly rooster shows the Shih Tzu a way to enter the chicken coop to access water and “one of my ladies’ decadent eggs”, something the dog continues doing for six days before being discovered by the farmer. After bathing the matted dog and cutting its hair, the family post “Found Dog” posters locally. Months later, with no one having claimed the dog, the family “adopt” the dog, naming him Buddy. Though the story could end there, Wagmann adds another episode, set a year later, in which the family, having spent the day fishing at the local river, accidently leave Buddy behind, and Buddy relives the anxieties of his first abandonment in the forest. All ends well as the farmer’s husband returns to the now moonlit river later that evening, and Buddy responds to his calls.

Wagmann adds an endnote in which she, in part, states:

This book was written in memory of Buddy, who found the Farm in the Forest in the summer of 2001. During the nine years he gave us, Buddy destroyed a lot of socks playing tug-of-war, paced the floor nervously during every thunderstorm, had a three-legged car as a best friend, and rolled in cow manure every chance he got.

Additionally, Wagmann’s endnote includes a color photo of Buddy.

Alana Hyrtle’s full and half page water color cartoon-like illustrations help to establish the story’s rural farm setting.

Buddy is a feel good story but one that will remind its young readers of the responsibilities and commitment involved in having a pet.