Our beautiful boy was surrendered after serving a family for 9 years. He was broken in everyway except his gentle soul. How lucky we are to have him with us now….His story is just beginning.

Shortly after being awarded our 501c3 status, I received a call from my older sister, Emily, who is a force to be reckoned with in the Pennsylvania Rescue Community. The call was about a posting she saw… a nine-year-old Teddy Bear Shar-Pei that was surrendered the Marion Area Animal Shelter (https://mahspets.org/). Being over-capacity already, this shelter had no funds to cover the medical needs Buddy required. Without funds, they were not able to get him to adoptable status. That means, he needed another rescue to take him on… If not for the hearts of the staff there, there’s really no way of telling what would’ve become of Budd. They set up a makeshift safe space in the office and worked into the night to find a place for him. Like so many other animals dumped at shelters, Buddy had no idea what was happening or why, and with very little information from the previous owner, we really didn’t know how to ease his emotional anxiety. It was obvious that he was gentle and kind, even though his sadness was easy to see, he responded to hugs and love with a purring sound that I’ve never heard a dog make before. It was hard to believe anyone could mistreat him, however, the physical signs were there, terribly underweight, and malnourished, his nails so long they curled into the next, sores on his snout, it was difficult to know if he was visually impaired and deaf due to the profound infections in both eyes and both ears. These were the issues on the outside, even more unnerving was that the Intestinal parasites that he suffered from were to the point of being visible. This meant he would have a long road ahead. As you know, our focus is farm animals, specifically factory farm animals, so for us to take on Buddy, it had to be a unanimous vote and we would have to reach into our own pockets for his medical needs. Now, I have to say that even though none of us have much, I know my team well enough to know that we would all agree, Buddy belongs with Black Sheep, because each one of us knows the feeling of being alone and scared.

From the shelter in Ohio, we headed right to the Animal Emergency Center (AEC NOVI) to assess the situation and start a plan for the road to recovery. He was so brave, greeting everyone with a sniff and a snort, his tail never stopped wagging as if he already knew them. They fixed him up the best they could and sent us on our way with a bag full of medicine and a good luck pat. Once we arrived home though, his neglect was loud and clear. Afraid to enter the house, I knelt by him in the rain for some time, hoping to help him build up enough courage that he could cross the threshold on his own. Finally realizing that wasn’t going to happen, I lifted him up and we crossed it together. He met his new family with more sniffs and snorts, cautiously moving from room to room, completely aware of the tile, carpet and hardwood flooring he measured every step. The time came to call it a day, it was time to sleep, we all headed into the bedroom, he followed right along, watched us all snuggle in and shortly after, walked out of the room. I wanted to give him space, to look around on his own but when he didn’t return after a half an hour. I thought I better check on him. I found him sitting and starring at the front door, willing it to open. I sat on the floor and leaned against the door, he came up to me, pushing his head into my shoulder he let out quiet whimpers, that brought tears to my eyes. Eventually the whole pack was there at the front door, all sitting around Buddy as if to say they understood. I hugged him tightly as we sat there on the floor and told him how sorry I was that he had to feel this pain. That’s how we stayed until the sun came up. Those next few days and weeks, he watched us closely, always very polite, always curious about the other dogs playing, then…the moment he let love in seemed obvious to all of us, he knew he is home, he knew he is loved.

Our Budweiser is a now a beautiful, confident, funny, happy, carefree Teddy Bear.

No matter where we go today, people stop and ask if they can pet him. Always amazed at his gentle and kind disposition. We talk about how he came to be with us and how much he’s added to our lives… Although I’d love to be able to say that Rescue is a selfless act, but at least for us, the animals remind us of what love can do, and we take pride in surrounding ourselves with those that feed our souls.

Buddy’s medical bills are more than $2000 to date, He’s come a long way, although we’re close, he’s still fighting some residual effects from his previous life…

If you’d like to help, please be sure to state that with your donation.

and we’ll keep you updated on his new life.