Remembering Buddys Hachiko story!! Back in 2006, Buddy was found by a good Samaritan in the middle of a harsh winter curled up sleeping on a NYC street. The gentleman that found him would go out every few days to feed the stray cats and dogs that were dumped by their humans near a queens NY dump. It was obvious Buddy was waiting for someone to come back for him, as day after day he waited for the owner that dumped him to return. Sadly this never happened – Buddy had been dumped and his owner was not coming back for him. The days were short, and the temperatures dangerously cold. Buddy had already lost nearly 40 % of his body weight, but even that hunger he must have felt did not change him – he was determined to stay there waiting for his owner. He was an Akita and his instinct was that if he waited long enough his owner would return. One early morning the gentleman came to feed the animals and did not see Buddy. Knowing what happens to many of the animals on the streets, he feared the worst. The man searched and found Buddy covered in gasoline and tied up to a pole. It appeared someone had dowsed Buddy with gas and was about to set fire to him. Horrified the man untied Buddy and took him back to his van and started to call for help. That call was taken by Akita Rescue of Western New York. Immediately ARWNY placed a call to Beth, an adopter of ARWNYs who lived nearby, to go out to see what could be done. It was obvious Buddy needed medical care and needed rescue ASAP. This rescue happened quickly as Buddy was taken that day to the vet for shots and moved into a foster home where he could start to heal. The foster home was Joann & Matt Dimon’s in NJ and they, along with their kids Max & Arizona, were instantly taken with Buddy’s personality. Buddy was social, loving and gentle – despite his harsh treatment by his original owners and others along the way, Buddy never stopped loving humans. He loved to play and enjoyed a dip or two in the pool from time to time. Buddy was further vetted shortly after arriving at his foster home and when ready, was placed for adoption by ARWNY. Buddy had waited almost 6 months after being dumped but was now at his full weight and ready to meet new people. ARWNY was contacted by the Lebow Family, shortly after they had lost their beloved Akita. They had heard about the wonderful things ARWNY had done over the years; and the one story that caught their attention on the ARWNY website was the rescue of Buddy the Akita who truly showed he was a modern day Hachiko. Once the Lebows heard Buddys story of how he waited in the snow, ice storms, and rain in NYC waiting for his owner who never came, the decision was made: Buddy would become part of the Lebow family. Here are some pictures of Buddy while in foster care for ARWNY, and some of him now living the wonderful full life all Akitas deserve with his adopted Lebow family, and in recent pictures of Buddy you can see he has become fully white around his muzzle at the gloriously wise old age of 11. Buddy has come full circle because there was a rescue to help Buddy to mend his broken heart and see to it he lived a full wonderful life with a family that cherished him. He has even become a show dog of sorts, helping his “girl” Alyssa realize her dream to become a junior handler!! Buddy goes everywhere with his family; he loves to meet people, to travel & is a great ambassador for our Akita breed -- for which we thank the Lebow family, because they made all this happen by adopting him!!! We can rescue all the Akitas we want, but without great adopters, our work falls far short! Its the forever home that makes the magic complete! Buddy, you will always hold a very special place in all our hearts, we love you!! The ARWNY Gals & Joann Dimon & Wendy Lebow
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 18:30:27 +0000
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