We call Bud the Little King around here, nothing of the awful suffering and abuse he survived has diminished his sense of entitlement or his ferocious of mostly unsuccessful hunting instincts.

He spent so much time rushing around the yard in pursuit of chipmunks this summer that he lost 4 lbs (too many for a 25-pound dog) and we took him to the vet, thinking he might have worms again. He nearly died from heartworms in Arkansas.

Bud will stay outside all day if he can, waiting for a chipmunk or squirrel to make a false move in good weather. So far, he’s only gotten one living thing we know of, a mole. But he never quits trying. One chipmunk has been taunting him for two years, but Bud won’t stop stalking him around his favorite hole.

Dr.Fariello, our vet,  says Bud is in great shape but she wants to see him regain some of that weight so we have upped his food. Bud is not a cold-weather dog; Boston Terriers are not built for it. In the winter, if it’s very cold outside, he sometimes takes a dump in the bathroom rather than walk out. He also likes to mark big Amazon boxes when they come into the house.

But was a wild thing when he arrived, and it hasn’t totally left him. When it gets cold, his official position is right in front of the wood stove, where he dozes for most of the day, almost in hibernation. When I sit in my reading chair he hops up onto the footstool and keeps an eye on me, hoping for a head scratch. At night, he and Maria cuddle up while she reads or blogs. She is crazy about Bud.

Carol Johnson, the dog rescuer from Arkansas who saved him, did a fantastic job bringing him back to life. He responded very well to training when he came to the farm, but only up to a point. He’s no border collie, not that eager to please.

Dr. Fariello asked me how Bud was doing, and I said, great, he is a loving dog, and a disgusting dog in many ways (lots of gas, he loves to eat dog poop if he can get to it) but we love him. He is a great spirit and has a heart much bigger than his body.

I’m glad to see the Little King on his winter throne again. He’ll shift to the big soft mat in front of the wood stove when it gets colder. He’s living the life.