Buddy Meritt-Oliver

Buddy ("Chuddy", "Buddum Skudders", "The Skud") was adopted by Lyssa on June 19, 2014 and crossed over the rainbow bridge into eternal life on October 10, 2023. While his exact birth date is unknown, he was thought to be almost 15 years old at the time of his passing. He is survived by his parents, Lyssa Meritt and Bailey Oliver, shiba siblings Rosie, Phoenix, and Shinji, and so, SO many friends both human and animal alike. Nobody knows what the first 5 years of Buddy's life was like, but it was said that he was caught alongside four other dachshunds chasing a woman's chickens at her farm in Dialville, Texas. Once he was taken to the pound he spent 6 months there before he and Lyssa found each other. Lyssa and Buddy met at Klein Animal Shelter in Jacksonville, Texas and it was love at first sight. They always say you don't choose the shelter dog, they choose you, and that couldn't have been further from the truth. Lyssa went in for another dog she saw on their website and left with Buddy. She knew he was the one upon perusing the aisles of pups when he came right up to the door, howled, and wagged his tail. When she asked if he wanted to go home with her, he responded with his loud, signature "arooooo!" and that's when his new life began. Lyssa will never forget driving home with him and hearing "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne coming on the radio. There was no doubt that their meeting must have been destined. Buddy was with Lyssa through some of the happiest and saddest times of her life so far. From painful endings to new beginnings, he was always what she looked forward to coming home to. In 2017 Lyssa moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana for work and he came right along with her. It was when they were living here that Lyssa met Bailey online and once he flew to see them, he never booked the return flight home. Now a family of three, they moved back to Texas for another two years and gained two new family members: Rosie and Shinji. In 2021, the family moved to Kokomo, Indiana: Bailey's hometown. Shinji's mother, Phoenix, flew from Texas and joined the pack to complete their family of six in the summer of 2023. Everything about Buddy was larger than life. He was loving, loyal, sensitive, and obedient to the end. In his long life he made more friends than a lot of humans do. He lived in 3 different states - one at two different times! - and went on so many adventures with Lyssa and Bailey. He tasted a lot of good food and met a lot of great people. He was talkative and funny, and made everyone around him smile. He always seemed to know how to comfort someone when they were feeling down and would often force his way onto your lap if he could sense you were feeling stressed or uneasy. When his parents would travel, all of their friends would ask if Buddy was coming along, too, always excited to see him. He brought joy to everyone around him. Buddy loved other dogs and got along with everyone he ever met. His favorite things were squirrel-watching, long walks, and snuggles with his parents and pals. Buddy was loved beyond measure. There will not come a day in his family's lives that he won't be missed and celebrated. He will be fondly remembered as everyone's "Buddy": a true friend until the end.