I take all kinds of photos, but now and then, one stands out and says a lot about our life at the farm. The photo is a love photo that captures the bond and connection between humans and animals.

Bud was born and raised in an animal Hell. His allegedly human owner left him and several other small dogs in a kennel without shade or protection from snow, rain, or cold. For Boston Terriers, with their thin skin and compressed noses, that is torture. Zip cot seriously ill, and one by one, the other dogs in his kennel – all smaller dogs – died of exposure and starvation.

A neighbor called a rescue group that purchased Bud for $150. He was near death, suffering from starvation, and heartworm was very near death. He spent a year getting medical treatment from a local veterinarian who saved his life and brought him slowly back to life.

Our first Boston Terrier, Gus, had just died of a stomach disease, and we saw But on a rescue group adoption page. We wanted him right away. It took several months and more than$1,000 to pay for his medication and transport him to Vermont, where we picked him up.

He was a strange dog, different from the entitled animal characters living on the farm. He was terrified, shaking whenever I got close or when he saw a man. He was not housebroken or used to the cold of upstate New York.

He is a strong son, and subzero weather is dangerous to him. He can only go outside to urinate or defecate.

Bud’s training took several years. He responded well. He is a great dog, a ferocious hunter of rats, mice, moles, and chipmunks, few of which he has ever caught.

He loves the workers who come to the farm, and he loves me now, as he knows Maria, and I love him dearly. He is quite a character.

We can’t let him loose in our woods as many predators on his side would enjoy him for lunch or dinner.

Bud is happy, busy, much love, and fearless. We love him very much, and he ends up on one of our laps every night. It’s warm.

It’s a joy to help a dog or any animal come back from the nearly dead. For Bud, it is bliss.