Update 10/20/2009

Written by friend Caryl:

I just heard from my friend Gwen, who a little over a year ago adopted Buster from LIN. Buster is a sweetheart, although a bit shy. It takes him a while to warm up to new people, but once he does, he's your friend for life.

Gwen's boyfriend, Mark, takes Buster on walks several times a day in the state park behind their house. These walks are their "together" time, and both Mark and Buster mope if the weather doesn't cooperate. Today was the first good day in a while that they could really enjoy their walk, and they set out for a long one. They were about 3 miles into their walk on a quiet trail when Buster began to bark and lunge. This is very a-typical Buster, and Mark had no idea what triggered the response. There were no people around, no unusual noises, nothing that Mark could see...just the typical stuff in the park: leaves, trees, branches along the trail. Still, Buster would not settle down, and continued to bark and lunge, bark and lunge.

Before Mark could stop him- before Mark knew what was happening, really - Buster leaped forward and grabbed a huge copperhead snake that was just behind a branch, right in the path. Buster shook it, flung it, and when Mark examined it, the snake was clearly dead.

Mark knows that Buster saved him from a terrible injury....copperheads are poisonous. Gwen called me almost in tears, so thankful that Buster is part of their lives.

Yea for Buster!