Baynard Butler. My beautiful boy. Where do I begin? He came to me when he was just 8 weeks old, shipped all the way from Toronto, Canada. I picked him up at the Savannah airport, a little soft and creamy bundle. The perfect little Golden Retriever, an English True Cream puppy, just what I had always wanted!
I named him Captain Baynard Butler, after Rhett Butler and Captain William Baynard , who was one of the first Plantation owners on Hilton Head. The ruins of his plantation and slave quarters can still be seen on the hill at Baynard Park Road, very close to where I live.
Captain Baynard Butler was the most wonderful dog, sweet and loving, not a mean bone in his body. He was big, 110 pounds at his peak. He loved to eat. Lived for food actually and would eat just about anything. One time he ate a whole chunk of cheese off the table, just before our guests arrived. He had a problem with his lips too, his lower lips were droopy and hung down, which caused him to drool excessively . Drool and slobber, especially if there was food anywhere to be seen or smelled.
I talk about him in the past tense, but he is still alive. He just doesn’t live with me anymore which is the hard part. After 11 years, I had to give him away. It wasn’t something I had planned or wanted to do. I just found myself in a situation where I felt it was the best thing for him and for me. It broke my heart and it still breaks my heart whenever I think about him.
I’m thankful that he has a wonderful home, with a wonderful woman who is good to him. I try to visit him as often as possible, although it is hard for me to see him. I loved him so much, my best boy. He will always be my Baynard Butler.
