Many people "knew" Buddy McDonald, even if they never met him in person. The picture of the lovely yellow Labrador retriever appeared in 2006 on bus shelter billboards, in Pittsburgh Magazine and on posters in the pet food aisles of Giant Eagle stores, because Buddy was the poster dog for the Pittsburgh Pet Expo.

Buddy got the gig because one of his owners, Mary Beth Mueller McDonald, was the expo publicist. She used her dog for public relations purposes because she thought he was special in many ways.

Buddy was special to the staff and residents of the Cedars of Monroeville nursing home, where he made regular visits as a certified therapy dog. One of his favorite residents was Margaret "Peggy" Mueller, mother of Mary Beth Mueller McDonald.

Buddy was also a sort of poster dog for pets that get lost or dumped by owners. In the summer of 2004 he was found wandering in Greene County and ended up at Animal Friends, then located in Pittsburgh's Strip District.

He languished there for more than a month, though his plight was featured on a local radio station. Initially there were no takers for a big, boisterous middle-aged dog with a scarred snout, a missing tooth, a furless patch on one ear and a misshaped front paw. He was also food aggressive.

Animal Friends took him out to public events, where Greg and Mary Beth McDonald saw him.

For the Forest Hills couple "it was love at first sight."

"In my eyes, Bud was the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth," Mrs. McDonald wrote in the flyer she mailed to me last week. It featured Buddy's picture on a small version of a 2006 Pet Expo poster with this headline: "A Life Well Lived."

Uh-oh.

"Buddy McDonald. Beloved member of our family Oct. 23, 2004-June 16, 2008," said the subhead, followed by a beautifully written tribute. She mailed copies to about 30 friends and the Post-Gazette because, she wrote, "Dogs don't get obituaries, but my dog truly deserves one."

It was also her way of dealing with the loss of Buddy. The writing was therapeutic, and friends responded with sympathy cards and supportive phone calls.

Last summer, Buddy's story "took an unexpected turn" when he was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, a form of canine multiple sclerosis. Dogs with that disease usually die in three to six months. Buddy lived for 11 months with the help of "the best vet in the world, Dr. Mike Hutchinson," Mrs. McDonald said in an interview. He combined mainstream veterinary medicine with experimental treatments and alternative remedies, including acupuncture.

Buddy "taught Greg and me some of the most valuable lessons in life," Mrs. McDonald wrote in the flyer.

His physical scars indicate Buddy was abused or neglected in his earlier years, but he was forgiving, trusting and affectionate with anyone who was kind to him. He rose to every challenge, including obedience training and therapy dog visits.

In his last year "we watched him deal with failing health and he never once complained. When the muscles in his back legs buckled and he hit the floor, he immediately got up and never looked back. He was still Buddy and he had a good quality of life until the last 24 hours," Mrs. McDonald wrote.

When nothing more could be done, Buddy was euthanized.

Here's how Mrs. McDonald ended the obituary: "And to all the dogs in shelters waiting to find their forever families, I'll say out loud, 'Buddy says there's hope for everyone.' "

In a sad postscript to this column, Mrs. McDonald's mother died July 16. An obituary and online guest book for Margaret "Peggy" Mueller is available on this site.

Mrs. Mueller, 81, formerly of Crafton Heights and Oakland, died after many years of failing health, including 1997 surgery for the removal of a large brain tumor. From 1997 until 2006, when she entered the nursing home, she was active and lived life to the fullest, her daughter said.

Mrs. Mueller volunteered with Contact Pittsburgh, working with latchkey kids after school. For those efforts she received the President's Service Award through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program in 2004. She made several flights to Florida to visit her four grandchildren, got her picture on the giant scoreboard at a home Steelers game and celebrated her 75th birthday with a trip to Atlantic City.