Buddy Will....a sad tale...hopefully w/a happy ending...

*****update on BUDDY WILL****...5-27-08...Buddy Will is still at our vet's re-cooping and doing much better and his physical wounds are healing! I was able to contact the vet that was on B.W.'s tags...he did not recommend contacting the owners of this dog...he said it was not a good situation for the dog...and he STRONGLY advised me to either find another home for Buddy Will, turn him over to an adoption agency or keep him...that he would not contact the owner nor would he give the owner our name and number...for our good and the good of Buddy Will!! I am saddened to think that this sweet dog has probably been mistreated for a while...and that possibly his starvation was part of that cruelty...I can only guess as to what he has been through in his short life span...but my vet, his techs, the humane society and I are all looking for a new and perfect place for Buddy Will to live. He seems to have a sweet disposition...and our vet is so graciously letting Buddy Will stay there and re-coop for free...of course we are paying all medical bills...but he is not charging us for services, room and board or the treatment rooms...he is just charging us for the meds...I love him for that!! So hopefully, tomorrow I will have some better news...we are praying that we find him a forever home! Please, Please say a prayer for him...that the perfect person comes along who will love him back to being a healthy and thriving dog!


*****WARNING*****WARNING****WARNING****WARNING****
If you are an animal lover...you may want to sit down and take a deep breath before reading this post....it is a tad disturbing...along with some pretty shocking pictures.

Today, after arriving home from a weekend in New Orleans and Gulfport Mississippi, for the wedding of my good friends son...who just so happens to be my son's best friend...we found the most unnerving and disheartening thing on our back porch. To help you understand a bit...we do live in the country; so to speak on about 2.5 acres...we do not have a security fence around our property, only a decorative type fencing...so we often have a few strays come through...we don't mind because they usually go as quickly as the arrive. BUT today...when my sweet hubbin stepped out onto the back porch to enjoy his morning coffee...this is what he encountered....
this poor, poor fella could barely stand...as my husband came closer to the dog he could tell the dog was not only starving...but in pain, that something was amiss for this poor guy! Luckily, our children were still here b/c we had just arrived late last night from our trip! Hubbin noticed that the dog was in trouble and called for our son and DIL...along with our daughter...we are all huge animal lovers...and dogs reign supreme around these parts for us! Hubbin noticed the dog did have a collar with a rabies only tag...but somehow...and we believe it happened b/c he had become so emaciated that the collar came loose and he had stepped through it with his front left leg...the collar got stuck around him much like you would envision a shoulder strap purse across one arm and then the chest...Sadly, the buckle rubbed the under side of his front leg along the top joint where the leg connects to the body. The buckle was almost embedded into his flesh...it had rubbed all his hair and a large amount of flesh off of him...plus he is was so skinny, not to mention he was dehydrated beyond belief...I could not believe he was still standing!! It was just the saddest thing to see...so hubbin and our children cut the collar off....rinsed him and the wound with cool water...fed him a bit and gave him some water. After my sweet man cut the collar off...this poor fella just laid his head in my husbands lap...he was so relieved, I think this was his only way of thanking my husband. We then made a bed for him under the ceiling fan on the back porch....Folks he just laid there and slept for several hours only to rise for water...I never did see him pee or poop...and I'm sure he didn't b/c there was nothing in him. We tried to call the vets office were the tags were issued but with today being a holiday they were closed. So...I could not stand it anymore...we all knew he needed medical attention...so I called our vet...thankfully, he had us bring Buddy Will in the office ASAP!! (that is what we are calling him, b/c both of the children started calling him Buddy before the other one even knew it...and I added the Will because I feel he has a strong will and is determined to survive) we put a leash around his neck and he was so good to come off his bedding and move slowly in our direction...but after a few steps we determined he needed to be carried the rest of the way to the truck! We swaddled him in a dry towel and we then loaded him in our truck and headed to the vet. This "disturbing" shot is a picture of him in the truck...he was just so sweet...it breaks my heart to see him like this...


After arriving at the vets...they tried to call the city dog shelter to see if his tags were registered there...no luck...they were closed, too. The vet decided to run a heart worm test on him to find out just what we were dealing with...he was heart worm negative "unbelievable"...plus he did not have any parasites, worms or ticks at all "WOW!!"...our doc looked at me...and asked "so what do you want me to do?" (he knows me and he already knew what the answer was before I answered!!) I told him...help him get well and in the meantime we would try and contact the other vet tomorrow when they open to see if the previous owners are still in the picture or not!! Our vet said he is not very old....probably a year or less! Other than the fact he needs a lot of good groceries and antibiotics to heal his wounds...he really was in pretty good shape considering what he may have been through. We are not sure where he came from...if he ran away...if he was dumped...if he just got lost...we do not know...but I could not live with myself if we hadn't taken him to the vet. Tomorrow, we will try and find a home for him because we really can't keep him...he needs to be fixed as well...so we may have to do that before we can have someone rescue him...I am looking up doggie foster homes in our area as well as rescue shelters...but I will not take him to the humane society...b/c I know they would probably just put him down...and I don't want that to happen. He seems very gentle...but of course I do not know what he will be like when he is healthy. The doc did say that he does have some pit bull in him (which isn't a problem unless he has been mistreated which can be bad for any breed of dog)...he said that basically he is just a mixed breed...that has had a run of bad luck...that is until he met the crazy lady who takes strays in anytime she see's a need!! My hubbin was just as eager to take Buddy Will to the vet and save him as I was...BUT he didn't want me to name him...b/c he knew I would become too attached if I did so...but too late...I've already named him...even if it is temporary!

I hope we can find someone great to adopt him...OR if his family lost him and have been looking for him...this would be an awesome surprise for them!! Due to his poor condition we feel he has been missing for quite a while...but if I think for one minute these folks are the reason he is in this shape...I WILL NOT turn him over to them...I'll keep him before I do that! It is just too sad to bear!

Sorry these pictures are so graphic...but this shows just how sad it was and how horrific he looked when we found him OR he found us!!!...hopefully, now he is resting at the vets with antibiotics and sedatives taking care of him...along with some IV fluids and some healthy food! We will see what tomorrow brings.

Here he is at the vets while the tech is scanning him to see if he had a microchip...but he did not! Folks if you haven't had your dog micro chipped...please think about it...it could save his/her life...not to mention many heart breaking moments for his/her family....we micro chipped our dogs...b/c there are times when they do not always have their collar on....let Buddy Will be a reminder to please do so....
I mean for goodness sakes...look at this face...such a helpless creature...it makes me want to cry just thinking about him hobbling around for heaven knows how long with that collar digging into his flesh...and no food or water! I think he came to our yard because we do have a large water bowl outside...and it had fresh rain water in it...plus he may have smelled our dogs scents and thought he would just rest here. My husband thinks he may have been here while we were gone b/c of a small dug up patch in the flower bed...were he thinks he may have found a quite place to rest...I am so thankful we made it home when we did...because I don't think he would have survived another day w/o food and water.

Please say a prayer for Buddy Will ...that we find a perfect home for him and that he makes a complete recovery!!