Tom acquired Puddles from my uncle Buck's brother M.C. from Springfield. While they had him, he would go to the local tavern and all the locals would give him beer and candy bars. (I'm guessing snickers bars) Afterward, Puddles would wander down to the vets office and they would call his home. The conversation was always.."just give him another shot and send him home!" Amazingly Puddles would do just that.
After we moved to Texas Puddles became acquainted with rattlesnakes. His first run-in with snakes, Puddles came out on the losing end of that battle. He had seven bites, on his neck, face and front leg. He came home swelled up like a balloon. We took him to the vet and they miraculously saved him. For about a month he was in a leg splint. They nearly amputated his leg. He wouldn't get up for anything so my Mom would pick him up and carry him around for water or food, she thought he wasn't able to move around. One day she got in the car and was leaving the driveway...and here came Puddles with that leg sticking straight out running his ass off with three capable legs!
It turns out that he got into a den of them again months later and was bitten all over. Once again the vet patched him up and told us that he may not survive. Again, in a few weeks he was up and playing just like always. Ultimately he ended up going back and lost his final battle. Puddles was the coolest dog I ever saw and to this day when I am in Nokomis, people still talk about that crazy dog. I wish there were more like him!