Buster the Wonder Dog remembered

Saturday mornings in Vermont will never quite be the same.

Buster the Wonder Dog, one of Vermont’s most prominent radio personalities, recently died from cancer. He was 11.

Buster, a border collie, lived in Stowe and wore many hats, but was perhaps best-known as co-host of “Music to Go to the Dump By” on radio station WDEV in Waterbury with local radio icon Ken Squier each Saturday morning. Buster’s last broadcast was in mid-February.

During the 9 to 10 a.m. broadcasts, Squier would often present the dog as being the dominant one in the relationship, in a humorous reversal of the traditional relationship between man and dog. Squier is station owner and operator.

“Every Saturday morning from 9 to 10 a.m., Buster the Wonder Dog and his loyal companion Ken Squier host a madcap cast of characters,” says the description of the show on WDEV’s Web site.

Squier and Buster were not only colleagues, but also housemates and best friends. They often poked fun at one another on the air. For example, Squier used to note that that border collies are “widely regarded as the most world’s most intelligent dog — not necessarily Buster.”

Squier said Buster was a dedicated broadcaster. “Every Saturday morning, Buster knew he had to get to the radio station. … He was an icon for the radio station,” said Squier, who has been hosting the show for about 40 years. “He was a hard worker and kind of scruffy. He represented us well. He really liked being on the radio.”

Squier said he is taking a break from the popular show. “I have done the show for 40 years. And because Buster had become such a major part of it — he really kind of took it over — I thought it would be nice to take a little bit of a break,” Squier said. He has not decided if he will hire a new co-host or do the show by himself.

Buster had passions outside of radio, Squier said. He was an avid NASCAR racing fan and automobile enthusiast. “He loved going for rides,” Squier said. “His favorite car was the WDEV mobile unit No. 1. … He liked to sleep in it.”

Buster was also an inventor and an entrepreneur. According to Squier, Buster had his own line of masculine fragrances (“for males, not men”). The most popular title, Squier said, was called “A Leg Up.”

“Later in life, he wanted to be like Donald Trump and be called ‘the Buster’ instead of ‘Buster the Wonder Dog,’” Squier said. The dog was also working on a perfume line at the time of his death, Squier said.

Rise to fame

Born in Strafford, Buster came from a long line of successful herding dogs. According to Squier, Buster’s grandfather was once a dominant force in dog herding shows in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. “Buster was a very good herding dog,” Squier said.

Given his humble beginnings in Strafford, few would have guessed that, over time, Buster would carve out a career in radio broadcasting — an industry that has not been traditionally eager to hire dogs for on-air work. But Buster’s professional success surpassed anyone’s imagination.

“He became an internationally acclaimed radio personality,” said Squier, who suggested Buster should get serious consideration for the Broadcasters Hall of Fame. “Anytime someone from WDEV went anywhere, people would ask about Buster. They would never ask about anyone else.”

And, Squier notes, Buster often used his success to help the community. He led several community parades and participated in many fundraising events. One year at the World’s Fair box social, a lunch with Buster — a life-long bachelor — went for $350. That was $50 more than the winning bid for lunch with Gov. Jim Douglas.

“He liked the attention. He went to a lot of parades and a lot of other civic events,” Squier said. “He was deeply involved in the community.”

But Squier admits that in some ways Buster was changed by the fame that came to define him. Since Buster had arguably become WDEV’s most famous icon, fans regularly clamored for his “Pawtograph.”

Buster developed “a bit of an attitude,” Squier said.

“If he didn’t like his food, he would pee in his dinner bowl … and he didn’t like children too much,” Squier said. Buster also did not get along well with the other pets he lived with, including Squier’s other dogs.

Despite his flaws, Buster was “basically just a little cuddly dog,” Squier said.

“We would lay down and fall asleep while we listened to news,” Squier said, noting he has received more than 300 e-mails and letters offering condolences. “We worked together well. He was a loyal dog and he was my friend.”