May I be as good a person as my dog thinks I am is one of my favorite quotes.  I’m currently dogless, but have had the great pleasure of dog sitting for a friend’s parents, who are vacationing in Spain.  I’m in Falmouth, Mass., on Cape Cod, and would venture to say that I’ve got the better of the deal.

Nothing against Spain but Buddy, my four-legged companion, is a special sort.  I will truly miss him when it comes time to say good-bye, and am already contemplating arranging vacations for his owners so that they might call on me to dog sit again.

Buddy was abandoned when younger and left to forage for himself and wander in the woods of Plymouth County.  When eventually found he was given to a shelter, where he was fortunate enough to catch the eyes of his current owners.

Buddy belongs to a breed of dogs known as Chinooks.  They were developed in New Hampshire as sled dogs whose function was drafting and sled dog racing.  Of medium to large size, their color ranges from pale honey to a deep reddish-gold and, according to the American Kennel Club, Arthur Treadwell Walden, the person who developed the breed, created “a sled dog with endurance, trainability, and a gentle nature.”

Squirrels, rabbits, jittery people and other dogs. Nothing fazes Buddy.  On one of our walks, a person who had stopped to say hello said he had the demeanor of a Zen master.  Resting on his haunches, Buddy calmly stared ahead, unblinking.

I’m guessing that Buddy, having been rescued from the woods, thinks that almost everyone is good.  Or maybe, his personal experience notwithstanding, he just hopes that’s the case.  At any rate, I know I’m trying to be a better person and, in so doing, live up to Buddy’s expectations.