Buddy, Lancaster, NH

Hi! I’m Buddy and this is my story.

I was named Brooklyn and I used to live in the Mt. Vernon Animal Shelter for a long time (nearly 2 years, ever since I was a pup). Then I got in the news in late December 2010, when myself and seven other dogs were stolen from the shelter!

Because most of us were pit bulls, there was great concern we were to be used as bait dogs. (Sadly, stealing dogs is a common practice by dog-fighters in order to get their hands on “bait dogs.”)

The Friends of Mount Vernon Animal Shelter even offered a reward for our return. The next weeks, four were recovered in an abandoned apartment in Yonkers unharmed, two were returned for a reward and one was found by a mailman in another abandoned apartment. (The mailman refused the reward and eventually adopted that dog.)

I was the only one they hadn’t found yet. Suspects (aka friggin’ jerks) arrested by police said I had been sold but refused to give more information. It didn’t look good for me…

In late January, a contractor saw a dog peering through the window of a boarded up abandoned building in Yonkers. He called the authorities who came and rescued me. Yes, that dog was me.

I was found in cold, filthy conditions having survived on garbage and water from the toilet. I was alive but very emaciated as I had been in the house for several weeks. I was returned to the Mt. Vernon Shelter where they nursed me back to health.

Even though I was one of their favorites, I remained there for another year. No one came to adopt me.

In May 2012, the folks at North Star Dog Rescue heard about my story and arranged to bring me to Vermont so they could foster me..

In June, a man who was looking to adopt a dog saw a video of me that had been posted on Pet Finder. There was something that drew him to me; He didn’t know my horrible story yet — he just felt an immediate bond. He contacted Mary Lou Lorenz and Marisa Miller of North Star and they told him I was being fostered in Burlington, VT — two hours from where he lived — and that I was still looking for a permanent home.

He arranged to meet me and took me home for the weekend to meet his son. Instantly, they knew they wanted to adopt me so he called North Star back and finalized the adoption. And I’ve been with them ever since. 🙂

They started calling me Buddy—which I loved because I figured I needed a new name for my fresh start. I’m almost four now and my Dad says I’m a wonderful boy who is very social and happy, the sweetest, most loyal and trusting pet you could ever want. I love laying in the grass, playing in the river, playing in the snow, riding with my dad in his truck and meeting new people.

In spite of my ordeal, I am very loving with people and have never shown any aggression. My Dad says I am especially charming around little humans and they seem to gravitate toward me. My Dad is always amazed how kids never fear me for being a pit bull. They just see a sweet smiling friend. I’m just “Buddy”! 🙂

My family always say they are so grateful to the folks at Mt Vernon Animal Shelter for never giving up on me and to the kind people at North Star for giving me a second chance. Me too!

Thank you for reading my story!
~Buddy

Parent: Walter