Here is an email I received from Buddy's foster mom:
Hi Debbie,
Thank you so much for your interest in Buddy. He is an extremely special dog. I have been having a very difficult time deciding if I can give him up. But, I think that if he finds just the right home, it will be a good thing for both of us.
Here is his whole story (sorry it is so long). Buddy was owned by a very abusive older man. The neighbors tried to care for him when they could. Eventually, the man died and Buddy became a stray. He sort of became the "neighborhood dog". One of the neighbors, Mary Beth, and her husband took extra care to make sure that he was okay. Then, the two moved away and left a different neighbor in charge of his care. Several months later, a different neighbor called Mary Beth and said that Buddy had collapsed on her former front lawn. Mary Beth and her husband rushed to him and took him to the emergency vet. The vet said that he was within hours of passing. They filled him up with fluids, treated him with everything they could and then sent him home. The pads on all four of his paws where missing. This is likely because he walked a long way on hot pavement or he stepped into some sort of acid.
Mary Beth cared for him diligently for the next several months. However, due to Mary Beth's severe allergies, he had to stay in her garage and therefore, contacted AARF for a foster home. In August, I went and picked Buddy up from her and took him home. We carried him to the bathroom because of his paws, gave him his meds and we got him fattened up.
Buddy was also heartworm positive. He has now been through treatment. He is still coming up slightly positive and will need to be retested in four months. But, he is improving greatly and is doing very well. At this point, he is about 99% healthy and will be fully recovered as soon as his heartworm test is negative. His paws are totally normal now.
Buddy is a VERY sweet dog. He is just learning how to be loved on. He will cuddle, but he doesn't quite feel comfortable, so he will come up for a little while, get some loving and then go back to his "safe place" - this is his doggie bed from Mary Beth that he loves. He will jump up into bed and does the same thing. He has also learned how to paw at me and get me to come down to his level so that we can be face to face for loving time.He is very well behaved and just loves his people. He follows me everywhere I go. He also LOVES to chase balls, go for car rides and squeeky toys.
As for barking, Buddy isn't a barker. However, he does howl. If another dog tries to take something from him or if he wants something and can't get to it, he will howl. Also, he is very attached to me and if I leave, he will howl for me. When I return, I give him loving and he is fine.
Buddy is not neutered yet. We had to wait until his heartworm treatment was complete. At this point, his levels are low enough that we can risk the surgery. I am planning to make him an appointment this week. At this time, he "marks" in the house. Usually, after a dog is fixed, this will stop. I am hoping this is true for Buddy. As a beagle, he is also a bit of a shedder.
I think Buddy would do best in a calm home where he gets lots of personal attention. He loves to run and because Beagles have such "hunter" noses, it is important that he has a fence. Otherwise, he will wonder off without realizing where he is going.
Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know. If you are interested in meeting Buddy, please let me know a time that would work for you. I work 9-5 most weekdays, but could meet around 5:30 any night of the week.
Only photo I have of my Maggie, who passed away almost 3 years ago. Yes, she was wet.
You can see why I'm leaning more towards Penny.
8 comments:
I think you should think about both of them. Buddy needs some love, and you are the lady for it. And Penny can teach him how to stay in the yard. Come on. You can do it!
I think Penny is adorable!What a decision though!
I'm with MPM - you need both.
Who is Penny? Is that the Beagle? I think you need them both because they need company during the day when you are at work. Wait, are you going to go back to work? I know from experience that a lonely dog can get in a loooottttt of trouble.
Awwwww, poor little Buddy; that's such a sad story. I'm going to stop complaining now about Hopper Henry! (hugs)P.S. And, Penny looks so sweet too! So, what are you going to do? :)
Oh brother..do you ever have a tough decision. I don't know about getting a male that marks his territory all over the place...especially in the house! I am so glad I don't have to make that decision....good luck!
ahem... ok I am going to give you my heartfelt opinion!!I have to preface this by saying that I have been in basset rescue for almost 10 yrs. Dana and I have rescued 3 bassets and I have been a basset owner for 28 yrs. I think Buddy will have trust issues.It sounds to me like he needs to be adopted by his current foster family, who have been working with him... putting him in a new environment might make him revert back to his previous non trusting phase. He is a special boy and adopting him out right now, probably isnt a good idea. A beagle is very much like a basset. They have a very strong stubborn streak in them, and sometimes it can be frustrating.Now, on to Penny. I think she is adorable and at 23 lbs she is just the right size! I vote for PENNY!!!!!by the way, your Maggie was adorable. I had a Maggie (basset) once too, she was a cutie.
Every dog is different. My experiences with adopted dogs were not always positive. I prefer females because of the marking....I have had males fixed after and they still go back to their old habits. A fenced yard is always nice, but a dog that stays in his own boundries is golden.He will take a lot of training, unless you opt for the electric collar/fence. I have had good luck with it, and after a while, the collar wasn't needed any more.One dog, two dogs, three.... two dogs keep each other company if you are gone, I even dog sit for the nieghbor because he is an only dog.It took me over a year to find the right fit for me after I lost my dog of 17 years....then my son brought a rescue dog home!!!! He didn't read the fine print, and she came home with kennel cough and was very sick, we didn't think she was going to make it, but several hundred $$$ after she survived, but was not good with her sister dog. We had to keep them separate amd slowly introduce them....now she is great with her sister dog, and her boyfriend dog next door, but we have to be very careful around other dogs, especially on our walks.Happy dog hunting!
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