BUDDY'S STORY By Cindy Platt & Virginia Rowland Return to BOTM

Buddy is a 2 1/2 yr old, red fawn, beautiful male Bullmastiff. Buddy was rescued from a very bad situation in Alabama by a young couple who answered an ad in the paper about a Bullmastiff being sold for a very low price. They had always been interested in the breed and really just wanted to see one up close and personal, never intending to purchase him. When they arrived and saw the squallid conditions he was living in....he was chained to the underside of a mobile home with some of the aluminum skirting removed as his shelter, he had poor quality rotten food, was drinking from mud puddles and was infested with fleas and ticks. Still in the midst of all of this his sweet and trusting temperament came through. Not being able to bear leaving him there, they purchased him even though they were being transferred to Illinois almost Immediately. Buddy it was decided, would be treated at a Vet and brought to Illinois with them. In Illinois, they contacted the American Bulllmastiff Association Rescue Service for assistance since their living situation was not conducive to a Bullmastiff at the present time. They knew he deserved a good permanent home and knew the rescue would see to it that that is what he got. These people were good souls and certainly helped this dog get to where he had to be. The "guardian angels" along the way are very important to getting our rescues to their final destination. Buddy came to me a little thin, but healthy, despite the rickets in his front legs from inadequate nutrition. He did bear the emotional scars of his time in isolation and solitary confinement. He was very afraid in the beginning that we would leave him and not come back, but it didn't take long for him to realize that things are not like that here. He gained weight and we gained his trust. Through all of this he was always a perfect gentleman to all people, children and animals and we knew just how special this Bullmastiff was and just how special his new home must be. Fate has a way of steering things in the direction that they must go and sometimes it is a surprise. It was so with Buddy. Buddy was to go to another home, but at the last minute circumstances dictated that he could not go there. Almost the same day I was contacted by Karen Miles about Buddy. They had very recently lost their beloved male Bullmastiff and in their grief still reached out to help a rescue. I knew almost immediately that this dog was meant to be theirs and a few days later he was! Were it not for the fact that I had held him for a couple of months to wait for the home that fell through....we would have never had a Buddy to give to the Miles'. Such good luck after all! And so on the day I brought Buddy to meet them he saw Randy his new dad and went directly to him and sat in his lap. Now this dog is sweet but still very reserved, and this was unusual behavior for him. SO I knew and Buddy definately knew that these people, at long last, were his....all HIS! My work was done....Buddy was where he belonged. Karen and Randy are special people who have been patient and kind with Buddy with all his readjustments to living in a house with people and another dog. Their sense of humor has made the transition much easier and Buddy I am sure feels he is in pure heaven with them. Buddy will be used as a therapy dog and with his quiet and sensitive nature, I am sure he will make many people happy. He above all knows lonliness and isolation and the power of love and companionship. A few short months ago, this special Bullmastiff was chained and lying in a dirthole he dug himself, alone and unloved. Today he is part of a wonderful family and will have many opportunities as a therapy dog to brighten the lives of many people. He never held a grudge against any of us, even after the awful treatment he had recieved. He is a testimony to the power of love and caring and people who saw potential in a grungy dirty dog, with the brown eyes that can see clear through to your soul. It is an honor to work with rescued Bullmastiff such as the likes of Buddy. The ones that are special and so very worth saving. If everyone spent some time with him, they would understand what we are here for. Their resiliancy is amazing, their capacity for total forgiveness truly a miracle. We should be so like them!

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