Buddy has “It.”

This has been confirmed repeatedly to me over the past five years of life with Buddy.

Once when watching my son at a tennis match with Buddy at my side, the opposing team’s bus came to a screeching halt behind me. Startled, I turned around to see the bus doors opening quickly. I thought there might be some sort of emergency. The bus driver called out to me,
“Hey! What kind of dog is that? That is the cutest dog I have EVER seen!”

This kind of random stranger appreciation has repeated itself through the years. Buddy has that “it” thing that some movie stars and politicians have. John F. Kennedy Jr. had it. So does Barack Obama. Princess Diana had it. People are somehow mesmerized and drawn like moths to a flame; an indescribable attribute, a can’t-put-your-finger-on-it but know-it-when-you-see it kind of thing.

A walk through our Gold Coast Chicago neighborhood confirms it. People say, “Hi Buddy!” on the street. The doorman at a neighboring building will actually run across the street to give him two treats; once a tourist asked me if she could take some pictures of him.

I think I know some of the secrets of his success:

Put a little bounce in your step.
Wag your tail a lot.
Be friendly and approachable.
When someone talks to you, tilt your head to the side and listen intently.
When walking down the street, look people directly in the eye and SMILE.