Bud had been with me for approximately 7 months. When he arrived he was a little 'froglet'.. which basically means not too long before that he still had his little tadpole tail. He never left the water, he never made a sound like a typical frog. He didnt eat insects, didn't flick out his tongue.. he was my little polliwog!

He always swam around and watched me, no matter what room I happened to be in. He ate his food from a spoon! ...even if half of it spilt down into his water, he *tried* :o) He always seemed to have this little smile on his face after he ate, too.. and when he wasn't swimming around, he would pose against the glass. Little front hands on the glass like he's being frisked was probably my favorite. Aside from his posing, another unique thing about him is that he was a stubborn little shit. He fought whenever I had to clean his bowl.. and he *constantly* splashed water at me whenever he was hungry. My friend, Joyce, feared he was making plans to attack. But he was gentle.. honest! LOL

He passed away the morning of April 16th, 2002.. and yes i cried. I mourned for several days, still am actually. I miss the little guy. His body measured a little over the length of my palm. Since I live in an apartment, I didn't have a yard to speak of to bury him properly... so a friend suggested burying him in a plant. It's leafy and green.. a type of vine plant.

I have had many pets over the years.. from bunnies to snakes.. and I've loved them all and mourned for the loss of them. Bud is no different. I LOVE AND MISS YOU BUD! My little webbed-foot baby...

Below are 2 versions of a story/poem called "The Rainbow Bridge". For those of us who consider our pets like members of our family, I believe you will enjoy.