When Buddy was diagnosed with severe lymphoma, his family was understandably heartbroken.
The 6-year-old Australian cattle dog was given four to six weeks to live by his doctors. And his condition was rapidly deteriorating.
Emily Mochan, Buddy's owner wasn't quite sure how to cope. "I got the diagnosis and was really distraught," she told Upworthy.
Emily and Buddy. All photos from Emily Mochan, used with permission.
At the suggestion of a friend, Emily decided to do something pretty unique. She created a bucket list for him.
"I did this and initially it was more just a coping mechanism," said Emily. "I had 27 things and only thought I'd get support from friends and family who felt sorry for me."
Buddy's bucket list contained all the activities a pup might want to do before his time on Earth ends: ride in a police car, go out on a boat, play in the mud, and dozens of others.
Emily photographed everything and documented it on a Facebook page. Before long, Emily and Buddy's adventures had an audience of over 12,000 followers.
But she was also running out of things to do.
"It just took off to the extent that I actually made a post asking for suggestions so we'd still have things to do in his remaining time," said Emily.
With the Internet's help, Buddy's list quickly expanded to 50 items, and the determined little guy tore threw them.
He got to dress up in costumes:
Spend a day making art:
And even become an honorary service dog:
Although there were times when he was a little limpy, or too weak to run, he always had a bright smile on his face, and a wagging tail behind him.
Buddy's last weeks were spent living a doggy dream life. Shuffled from one fun activity to the next, he was surrounded by cheering friends and family the whole time.
Buddy exceeded the doctors expectations and survived nine weeks after his diagnosis. "I'd like to think that was because his life was just too good to give up early," said Emily.
Eventually, though, Buddy's time came to an end.
Buddy died early one morning in late March, after spending one last night cuddled up with Emily, playing gentle games of "tug of war."
Before his passing, Buddy and Emily managed to complete every single item on the list. Except for one.
Item number 41 remained: Help other animals.
To complete that item, Emily says she will donate all his toys to local shelters, as well as raise funds for the RSPCA.
The fact is, there are millions of animals in need all over the world.
In the U.S. alone, 7.6 million companion animals enter shelters every year, and approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized.
Not every animal gets to live the joyous life that Buddy did, but every animal deserves to. And Buddy's memory is already dedicated to making life better for animals everywhere.
"A few people have been donating [to animal shelters] in his name," says Emily. "It's great to see that even through something as terrible as losing my best mate that there is still so much good coming from it."
If you'd like to help Buddy officially complete his bucket list, consider making a contribution to the ASPCA or any local shelter.
Helping animals live a better life is always the right thing to do. Even if you don't have a pet, do it for the millions of animals who need support. Do it for the memory of a dog who got to live his best life, despite his condition. Do it for Buddy.
"I know if he could understand what was going on, he would be proud," says Emily.
He sure would.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."