I doubt that he thought of himself as unlucky, however. While Buddy's life certainly started off badly, his rescue had delivered him to the finest forever home I can imagine. Surely his doggy heart beat with gratitude and joy every morning when he woke to find himself beloved of dogs. We saw this in Jewell, whose early suffering was mirrored in her initial inability to be held and her night screams of terror; when she gradually learned to relax in our arms and to sleep peacefully through the night on our bed, we knew that her spirit had healed. Buddy had the added good luck of finding himself living next door to the bodacious Tillie, with whom he played like a pup; they literally wore a path between one another's homes.
We all need to feel important and Buddy knew that he was.
When he needed to be released from his suffering body, Buddy also had the profound luck to be a dog rather than a human being. Then he was gently carried home and laid to rest in the garden.
Buddy's heart knew love. What more can any of us can ask?