An interview with Seaside’s mascot Bud and his owner Erica Pierce
Visitors can spot Bud, the short-statured dachshund about town, greeting locals and visitors with a tail wag and a sniff. The 11-year-old mascot of Seaside is named after the town founder’s dog, Bud Davis. His mom, Erica Pierce, Vice President at The SEASIDE Style®, shares the story of how she opened her heart and her home to Bud.
Erica, how did you find Bud?
I started a blog on The SEASIDE Style® website and reached a point where I needed more material and inspiration to feature. Finding a dachshund that looked like the original Seaside Bud seemed like a solution. Looking through many animal adoption sites, I spotted an exact match.
An organization known as Underdogs had rescued “Fritz” from the Escambia County Pound. This facility was a kill shelter, and this cute one-year-old dachshund was two days away from being euthanized. When I picked up my new “Bud” in Fort Walton Beach, he was scared to death. But after a trip to PetSmart, Bud started to relax. Oh, by the way, my husband had no idea I was bringing a dog home!
So, Bud became the mascot for The SEASIDE Style®?
Yes, we needed an actual dog to be the model for all of our photoshoots, serve at store events and participate in the annual Halloweener Derby event. “Fritz” naturally became Bud II. He responded to his new name immediately.
Bud became the icon for a huge collection of merchandise in The Seaside Style® store. We even had the company that makes the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade make a giant Bud balloon for all the holiday parades.
How has Bud enriched your life?
Bud became a member of our family right away. He is a very smart and loving dog. He has accompanied us on most of our family vacations and even attended my daughter Makenzie’s wedding reception.
Bud, what are your favorite things to do in Seaside? My favorite thing to do is to run free on the beach during our video shoots. I love to get ice cream, walk around town and visit our stores. So many people come up to meet me and want to pet me.
What are your favorite foods? I love ice cream, hamburgers, and pistachios!
Favorite toy? Tennis balls are my favorite things to run after. But I have a bad habit of destroying them if left in my possession.
Got any furry friends in Seaside? I meet new friends every time I am in town. My best friend is Guinness, a black and tan dachshund that is the comedian of the bunch. His legs are really short and watching him run in the Halloweener Derby cracks everyone up!
What are your special talents? I am a perfect model for all the photoshoots. If I am in front of the camera, I know how to pose and take direction. I once wore a GoPro camera on my back and videoed Seaside from a dog’s perspective. My video got over 17,000 views on Seaside’s Instagram!
