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# A dog’s tale is one of unconditional love and deep fortitude
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-dogs-tale-is-one-of-unconditional-love-and-deep-fortitude/
- Published: 2006-11-10T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T22:04:49.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*LAUGHING MATTERS Buck still has guts*

*By LAUGHING MATTERS BY JACK NEWORTH*

One of the many upsides of walking a dog is that you get to know people you might not otherwise meet. The only downside? Cleanup.

As I bend over with the plastic bag, Oscar seems to be saying, “Thanks, but no way could I do that for you. Yuck!” Poop aside, dogs bring so much joy. They’re also a great ice breaker, which is how I met Kate Holt and Scott Smith. They’re the “human companions” of Buck, a handsome, intelligent German Shepherd mix, who at age 16, is sadly in failing health. I generally try to be amusing in these columns. I hope you’ll understand if this time I don’t try so hard.

Five years ago, my neighbor, who was in a wheelchair, was given a golden retriever trained as a medical dog. As we both needed daily exercise, and in the 15,000-year bond between humans and dogs, Oscar and I became best friends. Buck, Kate and Scott began differently. Scott, a photographer, was driving to work at a Hollywood production company, when he saw a puppy darting in and out of traffic. Scott pulled over and rescued the puppy, who was wearing a pink cat collar with a bell attached, but no ID.

Within an hour, the puppy was sleeping peacefully in a cardboard box under Scott’s desk. On his way home, Scott picked up Kate from her work at a famous architect’s office in Santa Monica. Intimidated by the open steel stairs, the puppy arrived at the reception desk via the elevator, just like other VIP visitors.

For a week, Scott scoured the neighborhood looking for the puppy’s owner to no avail. He was reading “Call of the Wild” at the time, so the puppy inherited “Buck” from Jack London’s canine protagonist. Buck became a happy resident of Ocean Park. Soon, he developed a passion for Frisbee, which was good and bad — Buck loved making mid-air catches of the moving sphere, but was always running afoul of the law. If there was an “America’s Most Wanted” for dogs, Buck would have been a regular. Chasing his Frisbee, he was always dodging lifeguards and Animal Control officers, a subject Oscar and I are all too familiar with.

But Buck has “street cred” over Oscar, having served time in the Big Doghouse. A few years ago, an over-zealous Animal Control officer nabbed Buck for playing off-leash at Clover Park and hoisted him up by the neck, despite Scott’s pleas. Buck nipped the officer’s hand and minutes later, 15 squad cars descended on the field and Buck was unceremoniously hauled away to the pound. Early the next morning, Scott and Kate sprung him from his quarantine cell before he could be mistakenly eutha-nized.

One of Buck’s dearest friends is Paul Sand, an actor who won a Tony for his Broadway portrayal of a dog. Like Paul, Buck has a remarkable inter-species vocabulary, spanning 50 words, including: “cat,” “Frisbee,”“beach”and “egg”(of which he has eaten many: hard-boiled, poached and scrambled).

Arthritis eventually put an end to Buck’s athletic pursuits, so Scott devised “Codger Frisbee,” a game in which Buck sits on the bed to catch short throws from across the room. To see Buck’s former Frisbee skills, go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3kposwm2S4.

A few months back, Buck was diagnosed with cancer. Because of his age (90 in dog years), Scott and Kate decided to forego chemotherapy in favor of maintaining his quality of life. Buck’s human friends have rallied, especially Andrew Gledhill, an ad agency president and member of the household. He stops at Gelson’s on his way home from work to buy Buck tuna sashimi or thinly sliced roast beef and turkey (An indulgence in Scott and Kate’s vegetarian household).

Most dogs with lymphoma don’t live more than a month without treatment, but Buck still has a glossy coat and a gleam in his eyes.And, although he can barely get around, his spirit is strong. Scott and Kate take him for “walks” in a wagon outfitted with cushions and a warm blanket. Andrew, who is English, says the two are Buck’s “hauliers,” the British equivalent of “teamsters."

Buck’s longtime vet, Dr. Carlsen, has told Scott and Kate it’s their love that’s keeping him alive. He’s confident Buck will let them know when he’s ready to go. Until that day, they will continue to pull Buck around the neighborhood. All the dogs and their human companions, Oscar and myself included, will be happy and grateful to see them. To complete the journey, Kate and Scott will take Buck in the wagon down to the surf to watch... one more sunset.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/111006-10_01.jpg)

SITTING STRONG: Due to arthritis and cancer, Buck’s owners take him for “walks” in a wagon outfitted with cushions and a blanket. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 10, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)