My husband and I don’t have any children of our own, but we called Coop our child. He was a little different than your average child. He was 20 pounds, about two feet from head to paw, very hairy, and he barked at every noise. I would say Coop, a cairn terrier, was trying to protect us from wherever and whatever the sounds happened to be at the time—the TV, someone in the hallway, a leaf falling—but we know better. Coop had no loyalty whatsoever. Sure he loved us, but if a stranger came up to him with a bag of treats, Coop would be his. So, I guess he was an equal-opportunity lover. We watched him grow from a pup to a four-year old. Everyday we were excited to come home to him. Unfortunately, we didn’t have as much time with Coop as we would have liked. He passed away unexpectedly during a procedure at the vet’s office, and we found ourselves lost. He left a terrible void in our lives…until we met Buddy.

We decided to get a new little furry friend. There were so many dogs in shelters that needed to be saved, so that is the route we took. We knew we didn’t want an older dog, as we were not prepared to lose another one sooner rather than later. We looked online at literally hundreds of dogs. We signed up for waiting lists and keep-you-posted lists and make-your-own-criteria lists. One day a profile of a pooch named Buddy arrived in my
e-mailbox from a Brooklyn shelter. He was clearly an older cairn mix and had the saddest eyes you can imagine. We reminded ourselves that we didn’t want an older dog. We continued our search. When we found ourselves checking the shelter’s website several times a week to see if Buddy had found a home, we couldn’t deny him any longer. We took a trip to meet him. Before Buddy came out, we met another dog. He was great—furry, floppy, and friendly. He took to us right away. Then, Buddy was brought out. He was the complete opposite of the first pooch. He was very aloof and quiet, and he truly didn’t seem to care if we were there or not. We tried to pet him and his whole body tensed up at the softest touch. We took him for a little walk and his behavior continued. Clearly, Buddy had not had a great life thus far. He was emaciated and filthy. Even though he didn’t seem to be bonding with us as the first dog did, we still felt a connection to him because we stared at his picture on the internet for weeks.

As we took a seat on a bench to discuss our plan, Buddy sat at our feet. I was all for the first dog, but my husband was torn. A few employees walked past us at different times and said to Buddy, “I’m not petting you, you tried to bite me.” It seemed that Buddy had either tried to bite, or had succeeded in biting, several shelter employees during his stay there. We couldn’t understand this because to us he seemed so calm. Then, we figured it out. His floppy ears hid horrible infections. Each infection was literally sticking out of each ear. No wonder he bit people! They probably patted his head or reached toward his ears. As my husband and I continued to deliberate, it happened. Just as I said I thought I wanted the other dog, Buddy turned around toward us, raised himself up by putting one paw on my knee and the other on my husband’s knee, and stared up at us with his big, sad eyes as if to say, “Please don’t leave me here.” At that moment we knew we were meant to take him home.

Buddy was very timid when we brought him home that evening. The next day we went to see the vet. Put your hand anywhere near Buddy’s head and he let out the worst shrieks. The vet cleaned Buddy’s ears as best as he could, not being able to even see down the ear canals because they were so infected. Due to the shape Buddy was in, the vet could only deduce that he was between four and eight years old. His teeth would need work, he desperately needed to put on weight, he had a skin allergy, and his ears had to be cared for. This might sound like a lot, but after Buddy looked up at us with those eyes we knew we had to do whatever it would take to give him the type of life he deserved.

Buddy’s transformation with us has been unbelievable. In just a couple of weeks he became the most cuddly dog ever. Every few days we saw a little more of the Buddy that he was probably not allowed to be in his “previous life.” We might not know his real age, but he sure seems like a puppy when he flies off of the couch! He is such a loveable sweetheart! How anyone could be so very neglectful and mean to this dog is beyond us.

In the beginning, Buddy either flinched or backed away and barked when people tried to pet him, as he thought they were going to hit him. Now he is much better. He still has fear of other dogs, but we are working on this and Buddy is improving.

We are amazed how Buddy gained trust in us so quickly. He knows that he can be himself, and that we will always love and protect him. Actually, all he wants is to be loved, to be near us, and to get a treat every now and then. We feel honored to be the ones Buddy has chosen to trust. He has begun a new chapter of his life, and so have we. The void in all of our hearts has been filled.

WHAT A beautiful STORY!

YOU and BUDDY are both VERY LUCKY!

BLESS YOU FOR SAVING HIM!

What a heartwarming story. Just what I needed today. There are so many Buddys out there waiting for the second chance you offered Buddy. Thank you for loving him.

NOSE!!!

Hey Carrie.. have you seen this guy??????

Hey Carrie.. have you seen this guy??????

I have now. Yep, you've got my "type" down pat, girl! What a wonderful, wonderful story.

Now, how about a story about your Happy's Happy Tale. That's what I thought this was going to be.

Patience Grasshopper!

What a wonderful story thank you for sharing and for giving Buddy that chance. I have always fought and chosen the underdog. I also could not have walked away.
Please keep those updates coming!!