“It is very hard for me to leave a home where I am very loved.”
A volunteer with the Henry County Humane Society was out walking one of the dogs when he passed by the new shelter the rescue is building, and noticed a medium-sized crate sitting outside. He got a little closer to investigate — and found a large dog huddled up inside the cramped crate.
The volunteer immediately contacted the rescue’s board president, who told him to take the dog and bring him to the rescue’s current shelter.
“He was in a crate that was far too small for him with no food or water, and just a note that said ‘Hi my name is Buddy,’” Tracy Diehl, shelter manager at the Henry County Humane Society, told The Dodo. “It went on to explain that he had outgrown the apartment he lived in and loved children. They said he was up to date on shots, but unfortunately we have to have proof of that to be able to adopt him out so we have had to redo his shots.”
Buddy was left outside the empty shelter with nothing except the crate he was in, and the handwritten note. The full note read, “Hi, my name is Buddy. I have all my shots. I took flea medication today. I have outgrown the apartment I live in and need a new home with a big yard to run in and am AMAZING with children. It is very hard for me to leave a home where I am very loved and cherished, but I hope I can bring joy to my new family.”
Buddy’s former family clearly loved him, and when he arrived at the shelter, he was absolutely scared to death and so confused as to why he had to leave his home and family. Over time, though, Buddy began to warm up to his rescuers, and has shown them what a truly amazing dog he is, just like the note said.
“He is such a good dog,” Diehl said. “He knows how to sit, stay and shake hands. He was not abused. He is in great health. He will need a trim though, as the trim they gave him is really uneven.”
Buddy is great around people once he gets used to them, and his favorite thing in the world seems to be playing and running around outside. And butt scratches, of course.
The rescue received dozens of applications for Buddy, and after carefully sifting through them all, they finally chose the right family for him. Buddy’s new family has another dog who looks just like a smaller version of Buddy, and had been searching for the perfect new sibling for him for a while now. Now Buddy has a new brother to play with, a new family to love him, and of course, a huge yard to run around in whenever he wants.
“We are starting a fund called Buddy’s Play Pen to help us finish the new shelter and the accompanying dog yard,” Diehl said. “Considering how he was crammed in a very small space, we want to name the dog yard after him so that the dogs will always have a space to run and stretch their legs. We feel that Buddy has been a huge ambassador for shelter dogs, even without knowing it.”
