Buddy, Madison Heights, MI

Hi, my name is Buddy. My past is not one of being adopted and living happily ever after. Here is my story.

My soon-to-be foster mom got a call about a dog living in a junkyard. That’s me. I was found living in a junkyard by a wonderful group of people volunteering with Pound Buddies. Back then I was known as Sparky.

My new foster mom goes down to the county pound, to the locked down pit bull ward. Any dog — puppy, anything pit bull-looking — in the pit bull ward is going to the gas chamber, unless they get “special” permission from the county’s main office, an approved foster and to adopt us into another county other than Muskegon County, Michigan.

Then I was brought out to meet Stacie, I was so happy, so full of energy. I was not the cleanest of dogs, didn’t have the best manners, but I was happy.

My foster mom was also told I had people interested in meeting me, wanting to give me a forever home. So the potential adopters come, meet me at the pound, and decided “yes, he is THE ONE.” They were concerned about my dandruff, as the woman was a vet tech, but they decided they wanted to adopt me.

I was vetted and checked over and neutered before heading out to my new home. A week later I was returned. The vet tech that said she wanted to be my new mom insisted I had mange. Tests were done and I did not have mange. Sadly it didn’t change her mind. 🙁

So, happy-go-lucky me has nowhere to go, as the adoption didn’t work out and if I go back to the pound, it’s back into the possible gas chamber system if the volunteers can’t find a place to go.

It was decided I would go to my foster mom Stacie’s house, where she would foster me. My name was changed to Meatball as I officially became a foster dog. Stacie lived in the next county so I was safe from BSL.

Me and foster mom Stacie work on my manners, set up obstacle courses. I get to do agility. My energy is high and I am loving the challenges.

Everything in my life is good now. I never meet a stranger, I just love being with people, big ones and little ones.

It’s been awhile now that I have been in foster care, more than a year. My foster mom and I go to adoption
events, and promote me anywhere we can. Not a person who meets me doesn’t leave with a smile, but yet…I still don’t have my own home.

Black, Pit bull, cropped ears, bans in nearby towns, people are not lining up to adopt me.

Finally, someone sees my write up on Petfinder. I am finally off to a meet-and-greet in Lansing. We give them time after the meeting to really think about it and make sure I am the right fit for their family.

They call and excitedly state “He’s the ONE.” My foster mom did some training and work with my new people, me and their other dog — a mixed-breed, happy dog.

They adopt me with a two-week trial in place, then extended to a month just to make sure things are going smoothly. My new family signs up to take training classes with me and the other resident dog, I am going on bike runs, things continue to go well.

My foster mom Stacie drives to Lansing to make sure things are still going well and to make sure I was doing OK. I was happy, healthy and was enjoying my new life. My new parents told foster mom Stacie a new 2-legged addition would be joining our family soon.

Two years later they call foster mom Stacie and say they are returning me. They tell her that I leak urine, and they put me on medicine. They tell her I was diagnosed with chronic diarrhea and have to take pills for that. They tell her me and the other dog have been arguing, and that I had been banished from certain areas of the house. The other dog has been theirs longer, so I had to go. 🙁

Foster mom calls the director of the shelter on “what to do.” The director says they will put me back up for
adoption, don’t worry. But it’s not long after that I completely rips out my ACL on my back leg. Foster mom asks “what to do again?” to our director, fearing that this is the end of me and it might be suggested I be put to sleep.

The director says I am worth it and I am going to have my ACL surgery. But first I have to get all this extra weight off me. It is not easy thing to do with me already having an injury, but we did it and I go in for the surgery and I start rehab.

Months later, I am doing very well. I’m off the leaking urine medicine and I didn’t have one accident. I stopped taking my diarrhea medicine, and other than one little minor incident, I had no problem here either. This tells foster mom that I was probably living under much stress and duress that may have caused these issues.

Now it’s another year… no applications.

I am now considered a Senior dog, with medical possibilities of more injuries as I age…not the best chance to go against cute young fuzzy faces out there.

I have many followers in the pit bull world. And a friend of foster moms says she has a friend who was thinking of adopting me!

She lives a bit from me, but they drive half way to come and meet me. Foster mom talks of introduction times for the dogs, they go over my health and medical problems that may come up in my future. Foster mom encourages them to go home and really think about this. I have been failed and she doesn’t want this to happen to me again.

The family calls and say they want to add me to their family. They know about potential health concerns. They know they have to go slow with me and resident dogs meeting and getting to know each other. I am going into my new home on a two-week trial period.

Then 2 days later, everything changed. I was attacked by the resident dog. I could hear my potential new mom talking to foster mom Stacie begging her to come get me. The new man kicked me and it really hurt. My face hurt from the resident dog attacking me. The new man said he was going to drag me out and shoot me. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was feeling the anger and I was scared.

Foster mom was frantic and gathered up some friends to go and get me. A friend of hers is closer and can quickly get me out of that house. We do not trust that man and I just want to be away from him.

I go back to the vet for treatments and antibiotics for the wounds. There are no broken bones or ribs, just soon to be scars and a very sore dog.

It’s back to rehab time with me and foster mom. As time goes on, I am back to my happy, confidant self.
It’s time again, promoting, adoption events, something that I have always done great at! So what’s the problem? Now I am an elder dog, medical problems, scars, cropped ears, black pit bull (oh yea, there’s
that)…

But there’s a light, someone who has followed me from the start…someone who understands bullies, special need bullies and how hard it is for elder dogs of any breed to be adopted…

On December 31, 2011, I travel to meet what I have hoped and dreamed of. A forever family that will love me, unconditionally. I found them!

Bob and Julie could not resist the Meatball charm. I played with them, had my big silly grin going the whole time. Then I heard those words once again, we want to adopt him. I was happy, scared, so many emotions going. Could this really be my forever family?

Julie sensed me being nervous on our ride home. She looked me right in the eyes and said, “There is nothing you can do to make us give you back, you are going home.”

It has been almost 3 years and they have kept their promise. They love me, they really love me. Not a day goes by without me hearing what a good boy I am. Bob and Julie have changed my name to Buddy. New start, new name, leave all the bad stuff in the past where it belongs.

I have had another ACL repair and now daily thyroid medication. I also share my home with a toy poodle and a terrier mix. I also have 3 kitty sisters that were living on the streets.

As I look back on my life, all those “bumps in the road” I endured, never broke my beautiful spirit and my passion for people.

The biggest thing I want people to take away from my story is pets are a lifetime commitment. We are not disposable, when things go wrong to just toss us away. Think things through long and hard before committing to adding a new animal to your life.

I am one of the lucky ones. I finally got to find out what having a loving family is all about.

Sincerely,
Buddy
xoxo

p.s. Come visit me on Facebook, Buddy: Never stop dreaming

Parent: Julie & Bob