Meet Duke/Buddy. The rescue group that had him named him Unser, but I'm here to tell you that he told me his name was Buddy. And he likes that name. OK then.
I found Buddy on
Petfinders.com and when we got to his picture that was that. I filled out a lengthy application with the American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue Group and heard from the organization the next day. It took a couple of days to iron out the details as I wasn't in shape to talk yet as I was burying my late Bubbas, but the decision was made to add him to our home.
Harold immediately said, his name will be Duke. I'm thinking to myself, why not? Duke. How regal. His foster mom lived in New Orleans. The gal that brought him to Wildwood, FL for me lived in Texas. She picked him up and off she went. After multiple vehicular problems and not accounting for the time change the meet ended up being at about 11PM this past Friday. We chatted for a few minutes and off we both went in our separate directions.
But I'm exhausted and didn't make it far before having to take a nap in the rest area. I know my limitations. We didn't arrive home until 3:30AM. And all the way home I couldn't stop calling him Buddy. Come on Buddy. It's OK Buddy. I'm thinking, why can't I call him Duke? What's with all this Buddy stuff? When I arrived at the house I looked at his paperwork. On his vet paperwork he name was listed as Buddy. OH MY GOSH!!! He'd been telling me his name!
The first day Buddy was very timid and afraid. I have Charlie here after all and he is no lap dog. And to complicate matters further we're babysitting our granddog, Buster, as his father is in Pennsylvania. However we had a great day as far as potty accidents in the house. Woohoo!!!
The 2nd day, today, went much better. He came into himself and was interacting with the dogs and me. He's sooooo cute. When I talk to him he cocks his head to one side and then to the other side. I called him to me today and he was offering his paw to me. He's got such a sweet spirit.
You will note in his pictures that he is severely underweight and is still recovering from mange. He was an owner surrender to the pound and that's all I know about the previous owner. Poor Buddy has an eye infection, had an ear infection, was totally infested with fleas and of course the mange and being emaciated. He had to be wondering if pain and torture were all there was to life.
But that's all changing and now he's eating
Blue Buffalo dog food twice daily. Two HUGE bowls. One in the morning and one in the evening. Each one with cod liver oil drizzled over it and 2-3 dollops of plain yogurt planted on top. And he's loving it. And I chuckled when after Charlie and Buster had left some in their bowls for a snack a bit later, Buddy went and gobbled it up. It won't be long before the combination of this good nutrition and his medical treatment will make the dog you're seeing above in the pictures obsolete. A long ago thing of his past. He's got youth on his side along with good nutrition and proper medical care. And Buddy deserves that much.
Today, being just two days before Christmas, I was in the kitchen a lot. All of a sudden I heard him, hmmm ... how do I describe it? It wasn't a bark. I KNOW!!! It sounded like a boat horn. So I howled back to him and there we were talking back and forth. Ha ha ha ... he's such a cutie. And a welcome addition to our home.
Welcome Duke/Buddy!!!
Here is Duke outside right after his bath getting rid of excess water. Look at his demeanor changing already. You can see it in his stance. He's still timid and skittish, but he's coming into his own, holding his head higher and strong enough to stand up straight. His fur is growing in, but both of his eyes are still so red. We're treating it every 12 hours with an antibiotic ointment. He does not like it at all and it takes both me and Harold to get the ointment applied.
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