Buddy may know very little about God, being just a dog, so that’s only natural. But his owner, Haley Buckland, has successfully taught Buddy some graceful behavior.
Buckland received a good education from a young age. The 25-year-old grew up in a Christian school in New York and now resides in Georgia, receiving training in real estate.
She told The Epoch Times that her black Labrador retriever, Buddy, is no different.
A few years ago, Buckland moved to Georgia in the southern United States. In the fall of 2018, she adopted Buddy, a 4-week-old puppy. Little did she know that this puppy would one day become an internet sensation.
According to Buckland, “When Buddy was around 3 months old, I started training him to pray before meals. Of course, it wasn’t easy at first. He didn’t understand, felt very frustrated, and just chased after the food.”
But soon, a routine was established. When Buckland reached out her hand, Buddy would place his paw on her hand.
Every day, Buckland would recite, “God is kind, God is great, let us thank Him for our food. We receive our food from God’s hand. Thank you for providing us with our daily sustenance. Amen!”
Initially, Buddy’s food was placed out of his reach. But as time passed, Buddy’s patience was honed through Buckland’s continuous prayer training. During their prayers, Buddy chose not to touch his food on his own.
After persevering for about 2 months, Buddy began to understand that he had to recite the prayer before each meal and end it with “Amen.”
Buckland mentioned, “I used to extend my hand, but then I got a bit lazy and started using my foot. I extend my foot, and then Buddy takes the opportunity to place his paw on my foot.”
She shared that black Labrador retrievers are very intelligent breeds.
Buckland learned good manners at an early age and is delighted to pass on her upbringing to Buddy. She said, “I don’t know if Buddy understands what I say, but he knows there are some prayer words before saying ‘Amen.'”
In fact, Buddy is so aware of this that he won’t even touch his food until the last word “Amen” is said.
Buckland revealed, “When I finish praying, he knows it too. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘Well, she didn’t say Amen.'”
Buckland has developed a habit of recording videos of Buddy and constantly shares his cute and funny antics with her friends on social media. What amazed her was that these videos garnered a large audience online.
She said, “I want people to know that unless I pray and say ‘Amen,’ Buddy really won’t eat. I never imagined he would become this popular. I’m glad he’s capturing people’s attention.”
Some viewers commented that there are many people in the world today who don’t even pray. Other viewers noted that Buddy made them smile. This made Buckland feel good.
Buckland added, “If Buddy can make people happy, then I want to continue sharing his antics with the world.”