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Here's the happy ending story of Buddy:
Dear TLC Animal Shelter Staff,
March 1st 2003, we adopted a golden retriever, named Buddy. He was about 1 1/2 years old and had been in his cage an hour or less. As you can imagine, we were not the only ones interested in him but the ones who got there first to see him. At the time, I felt very pressured to make the decision to adopt or not adopt him. There were people just waiting to see what our decision was going to be for they too wanted their chance with him. We had just lost our shih-tzu to congestive heart failure three months before so it was tough. In the past we had two golden retrievers, so we knew what great dogs they are.
We adopted Buddy and he's been a part of our lives for just over four years. When we brought him home it was a rough time but we worked through it and never gave up on him. Buddy did not want to bond with us for 9 months which was difficult to accept especially when you're a dog lover. He had some strange behaviors which indicated abuse and neglect issues. He was housebroken, knew some obedience and has allergies which are being treated. Despite the rough start we had, Buddy is very laid back, a real people dog and joy to have around.
As Buddy began to trust us, he began to show his true personality and love for people. I trained Buddy to be a Therapy Dog. Last fall, Buddy passed his Canine Good Citizen test and the Therapy Dog International test. We visit a nursing home, an adult day center and occasional special education classes. Everywhere we go, the people love him. This was something I had done in the past for 7 years with my other goldens and am thrilled to be doing it again.
Buddy was meant to be a part of our lives and the lives of all those whose path he crosses. He is like a gift to us and a gift we can share with others. We are proud to call Buddy our own. Those who gave him up will never know what a great dog they had. Their loss our gain. We love Buddy dearly and are very proud of him. He is truly a shelter success story. You can be proud of him too!
Sincerely,
Lori & Jim Schroeder