Hi Darling,
The Carr-Fassett family has a lot to be grateful about. If you’ve been following our adventures on Facebook and Instagram (where I post most of my personal pix and lots of animal adoption updates) you know that we found a big ole blessing in the woods (with the help of some awesome New Yorkers!): A sweet, emaciated (35 pounds underweight), sick and struggling-to-stay-alive, hound dog who we named…Buddy!
After weeks of searching for his owner, making countless trips to the vet, nursing him back to health around the clock (how do you moms out there do it?!), and showering him with love, respect and compassion, it’s official—he’s doing great and we’re keeping him! He’s our soon-to-be-healthy boy now and we couldn’t be happier. Welcome sweet Buddy!
Today Buddy is quite the celebrity. Thousands of people from around the world have been praying for him and cheering him on (#gobuddygo). Folks have been logging into their social media accounts just for Buddy, especially on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
If you’re one of those people, I just want to take a moment to thank you. I know your love matters. It’s been part of his medicine and ours.
What’s more, I’ve read at least a dozen comments from people who went out and adopted a first or second fur-child. And countless others who have said, “now you’ve really got me thinking, I really want to adopt.” Booyah! Nothing makes me happier. I swear I’ve cried hundreds of heart-opening tears as I read all the love and possibilities. You all are so wonderful, yet another reason I have to be grateful.
When I first saw this skinny guy, I knew the road would be long.
And I heard the voices in my head: “Um, you don’t have time for this. He’s too sick. You’re already spread too thin. Lola doesn’t like to share. You travel too much. He’s bigger than your house. He’s a hunting dog, you eat plants!” Sound familiar? I bet you have practical voices that tell you not to do stuff you really want to do too.
Soon I came to understand that Buddy was my spiritual lesson.
I constantly talk about the importance of loving kindness—extended to all beings. How could I pick and choose when it’s convenient? How could I not take this guy into my life and heart. Brian felt the same way (thank the Gods!).
That was our rubber meets the road moment.
Who better than us to care for this guy? We have 16 acres of woods to explore, 6 of which are fully fenced in—crucial for Buddy’s built-in wanderlust. We work from home. We love animals. We want more joy in our lives. It quickly became a no-brainer.
As for Lola, she’s dealing and healing too. I think Buddy is the only brother she’d ever tolerate. Because he was so malnourished and wounded, she gave him space and reverence. Though she really doesn’t appreciate when he takes over her bed (that’s way too small for him), I think she likes to have a pal to trot around and explore with (which he is slowly starting to do). We’re doing our best to make her feel super special during this time. Translation: She’s getting chubby. “Hello piglet, enjoy it now cause it ain’t gonna last!”
After only a few days, Buddy is putting on weight—close to a pound a day. His coat gets shinier, his eyes get brighter and his tail wags more and more. He’s even starting to look our way when we call his name!
I wanted to express how lucky we feel to have the chance to make a difference in Buddy’s life.
If you decide to bring an animal into your home this holiday season, please consider adoption. So many beings suffer senselessly in shelters. Sadly, many of them die there, never knowing any kindness or cuddles. If you’ve got a rescued fur-baby, you know what I mean. You also understand that they know you saved them—it’s a bond like no other. And boy do they appreciate it.
Unconditional love heals.
Thanks for listening! He continues to heal. As do we.
There’s nothing better than happy trails and waggy endings!
Public Service Announcement: For all the hound dog lovers out there—consider a GPS collar. Hunting dogs and hounds are lead by their nose. They get lost easily and really need our help. Tragically, many hunting dogs go missing during hunting season, and others get left behind if they aren’t top performers.
Your turn: Share your adoption story in the comments below (and congrats to Lisa Henbest, my Crazy Sexy Kitchen contest winner!)
Peace & wags,
Buddy is so handsome. I have been adopting dogs and cats for 20+ years. That it is 2013 and there are still puppy mills and animal testing breaks my heart.
Thanks for all you do and your inspiration to others.
Our beloved Spencer passed away last year after 13 amazing years with us, and every day I give thanks for her. The shelter said she was the fastest adoption on record: in one morning and out the next. And here’s the deal: she chose us.
As we past row after row of cages and looked/petted the sweet pups, we passed an empty cage so we kept going. And then several cages down the row we got the weird sense and turned around. There was Spencer looking up expectantly wagging her tail with the “well, there you are!” sense about her. It was love at first sight.
Not yet ready for our next angel, but when s/he finds us, we’ll adopt her. My heart expands each time I say ‘yes’ to the YES that’s inside me. Thanks so much for all you do, Kris!
On Saturday we made a 4 hour hour drive one way to rescue our new Boxer boy, Bruno. We could not leave him in a high kill shelter in Jersey and knew he was just what we needed to mend our broken heart after losing one of our girls to cancer last April. We also thought he was just what our Boston terrier, Bella needed to help with the loneliness she was experiencing since she lost Lucy too. Guess what? She would rather he go back where he came from but we, too, are pouring on the love and helping her adjust. He is such a love as was our first two boxers rescued. Its a win-win situation. We get a boy who needs a family, one who has been neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped and trained and he gets the family, belly rubs, walks and cuddles he deserves. I wish everyone who wanted a puppy knew how easy it is to bring a rescue home instead. Thanks for sharing the message, Kris. Peace, love and big, wet, messy boxer kisses <3
oh yeah… and we are learning his native language , Spanish, too! When he didn’t sit for us we suspected he might have been from a Hispanic home and sure enough, he knows his commands when spoken to in Spanish, lol!
I so relate to this story. Last year before Christmas my husband called me to say a little sickly, emancipated cat had wandered into his office at work. He fed him and the cat was so tired he did nothing but eat and sleep on my husband’s lap for about a week. He took him to the vet and had him checked. Full of fleas,very dehydrated and almost starved but the vet gave him shots and hubby brought him home. I can only say he is just the happiest most playful cat we have ever had. Our other pound kitty had to adjust but adjust she has. This experience has been an absolute blessing for us. Oh and his name….also Buddy. Rescue animals are the best!!
Hi Kris,
Thanks so much for encouraging animal adoption and walking the talk!
I started adopting animals when I was 7 years old and saw a little lost kitten whom I “helped” follow me home! I’ve adopted many animals, from shelters, directly from the street, and at the request of my vet, who helps care for sick and abused homeless animals and tries to find them good homes.
My current fur children are three cats, Jenny (about 16 and the queen of the house), Ashley (about 15 and a boy – one of my daughters named him when she was too young to know this might confuse others), and Smokey (about 14 and our resident dominant male), and a 9-year-old miniature dachshund named Erica, who was found 3 years ago starved and severely abused, but is now happy, healthy, and a little spitfire!
I love them all, and I think the one’s I’ve had and lost to death are forever embodied and alive in the ones who now share my life.
All the best,
Mary
While walking my English Setter one day, I met up with a neighbor who told me there was a small English Setter at our local humane league. He had been there the day prior looking for a Rottie. I said, “your kidding, I’m going to go today, thanks neighbor!” I knew that moment this baby was ours. Called hubby, we are going to the H.L. this afternoon! Excited beyond the moon and back, we stepped into the world of adoption at our local shelter, full of barking, wagging tails, volunteers tending to each and everyone of the dogs just waiting for someone to fall in love with them. I lead the search, hubby close behind me, one by one we checked in each little house looking for the setter my neighbor said was here just yesterday. Down one isle, no sitings yet….rounding into the next isle, again, with breath held, we checked each little temporary home, but no dog that resembled a setter was in this lane either. I was getting nervous…and I said, wow, this is a full house here this weekend, as the barking got louder and louder. I knew there was only one isle left to check and my heart was thumping louder now, starting to keep in rhythm with the barking! Turning into the last corridor of homes, I noticed, it was the shortest of the three. Growing very nervous, I turned to my husband and said, “What if someone has claimed it already.” He replied….”let’s keep looking at the rest of the homes here, and then we will have to check with the front desk.” Just about halfway down this last isle of eight homes, my heart was starting to sink, I knew I had gotten my hopes up to quickly….now, the last two cages, no, the seventh one held of mixed breed, cute, but not a setter. Standing in front of the very last house in the whole shelter, we felt a flood of sadness overtake us. How could it be, it was empty. There were no tags hanging on the front saying what type of dog it was, or if there had been a successful adoption already of the dog that was housed here. Broken, I grabbed onto the cage, and fell to my knees, and sobbed. The tears flowed down, and I let them. Glancing again at what could have been, through the tiny arch in the little home where they excuse themselves for relief, just like that I saw a tiny little setter with a black nose, two black ears, and a spotted black and white face come out with a little grin and a light step, right up to my face and without hesitation, it started to lick my face and wipe away my tears. I could barely pull myself away from her to go to the counter and sign the paperwork to bring her home. Repeatedly I told her, we will be back in four days for you, you have a home now, your ours baby girl.
I adore Buddy and all the things you are doing! I actually cried a little when you first posted a picture of him on Instagram.
Every last one of my animals have been a rescue to some degree. One cat found us. She came up to my mom in the parking lot of our apartment complex at the time, and was so obviously underweight under all her dirty, matted fur. My mom brought her in to give her some food (all we had was hot dogs at the time…yuck I know, but we have learned since that time 16 years ago!) and she kept swearing up and down that we would not keep her…even as we were going through petsmart loading up on supplies lol. We had her until she died a few years ago. My dog, a golden retriever, came not long after her. My dad got a sort of credit with a shelter in Detroit after he did a drug bust and also discovered a dog fighting ring and called up all the right people to help the pups. He knew it was a long shot that a shelter would ever get a golden pup but he asked and we waited. It didn’t take long for them to call us to say they had a puppy for us that had come from an abusive situation. I never got full details and never wanted them…especially at 13! That dog was my baby. No one was ever allowed to yell at me or he would go into attack mode…nothing bad, but let’s just say my brother’s pant legs were never intact. When he died my world practically ended. What didn’t help matters was having my own stillborn not long after. All I wanted was my dog to give me hugs. We also had rescued another cat that died around the same time. 2009 was a very rough year. Still not ready for another cat, but if one finds me I won’t turn away! And when I had my daughter, I couldn’t deal with the idea of her not growing up with a dog. In comes my Indy. She was not what I was looking for. We drove a long way to interview with a rescue for a golden mix puppy. It came down to us and another family and names being drawn from a hat. We didn’t get her. As we were leaving, I saw this meek, underweight mess of a black lab mix hiding behind the person handling her. She just gave me that look of “please…” and I was sold. I got down on the ground with her and she was immediately in my lap. I was adopted so fast. Then we brought my daughter over and this pup immediately took to my one year old, then gave my husband a hug. We could not say no. They didn’t have a full story on her as they had just found her on the streets that week. Her fur was grey from dandruff and had all sorts of digestive issues due to stress, lyme disease, underweight. We put a lot of money into getting her healthy. She was also terrified of water and cowers if anyone raises their voice, and freaks out if anyone speaks spanish near her or carries a backpack. One can only wonder…
I adopted my first cat from the Humane Society, but sadly we had to put him down after 7 months because he was very ill with feline infectious peritonitis 🙁 We were both still dedicated to providing a forever home for an adopted animal; we just couldn’t imagine buying an animal that was bred specifically to be sold, when there are so many loving animals out there who are looking for there forever home!
1 year later, we adopted Rumo and Rala, two crazy cats, from a shelter in Seattle. They are the BEST cats with plenty of personality, and never fail to keep us laughing, especially when we are feeling down. Plus they love to snuggle!!! They are our family and we are thankful every day for making the decision to adopt. And every chance we get, we tell people to adopt to give a deserving animal there forever home!!
Thanks for highlighting the importance of adopting and congrats on your new puppy!!! 🙂
Hi Kris, you are such an inspiration and sweet soul. I loved you on Super Soul Sunday! Woot! And, love that you have taken in sweet Buddy. I have eagerly watched your posts and sent healing love and light to him….and you, your husband and Lola. Such a great time for you all to expand your hearts. Isn’t that what life is all about? My husband and I have two super sweet rescues, one we got from our local pound, he was a stray running the streets whom we’ve named Buster. He is the cutest little dog on the planet, we think he is Norwich Terrier and Shiba Inu. Then we had the opportunity to adopt a little feral girl dog from the streets of Taiwan. We named her Maddie. She had been rescued and sent to the states and she was just like Buddy, super skinny, could barely walk, totally freaked out,….she would just huddle in a fetal position all day. 1 1/2 years later, she is now a thriving, loving, super sweet girl who “manages” our 2+ acres of land and “gopher-hunts” (thank God they never have caught one) with her little brother, Buster. They sleep together with us, eat out of the same bowl, share toys, love on and bathe each other, play every day until dark and love, love, love us. There is NOTHING better than adopting sweet fur-babies! We would never get another animal any other way. We are beyond blessed to have them. We know you must feel the same! Please continue to keep us posted, I love seeing the updates on Buddy and Lola! <3
Hi Kris! Well, this is a kitten rescue story (dogs are in our near future, but not yet). We had rescued our kitten “Chili Pepper” the year before and he had, a few months earlier, gotten to the age and health where he could begin exploring outside. He was such a good boy, staying so close to our home and calling at the back door to come in every night. One day last May, my oldest son said that he saw Chili taking a nap in the sun with a squirrel – what? Well, I had to see this…….the next day I saw it- our Chili was licking and protecting the tiniest kitten, really taking care of him. He didn’t even want to come inside at night, as “little kitty” was alone, living under house, we soon learned. His Mom and Dad were gonzo – g.o.n.e.
We tried to catch the little guy for over a week….putting food out strategically, live trap (too light to set off the trigger), sneaking up behind him when napping with Chilli – nothing worked. He was so scared and would not let anyone near him. Well, finally my son did sneak up and got to pick him up – we took him to the vet immediately. He was near death’s door – hooked up to hydration IV and lots of natural foods coupled with attempts at snuggles/attachment (super anxious in anyone’s arms) – our Leon appearred, getting stronger every day and growing longer and fatter all the time! Now, 6 months later, he is a very big, fluffy and gorgeously healthy and loved cat – Our Leon. He is finally allowing me to hold him – we practice every day. Last night, he actually jumped on the bed and curled up next to me. Success! Thanks for the opportunity to share – we love both of our rescued kitties.
My hubby and I are wildlife rescuer folks and just after christmas 6 years ago now we rescued a bird from a blizzard and it just so happened that the blizzard was so bad we could not drive to the town where the rescue center was. Divine Guidance for sure as the next day was a Sunday and we drove up and there was a man holding a small ball of fur, kicking a 24pack beer box where the past 24 hours the dog was struggling to survive in the outside halls of an apartment complex. The fellow said he wanted to give this dog to the rescue center as he heard the puppy crying for a few hours, then he thought it was dead until the morning when he checked the box. I was stunned, and had the mind to take the pup who was lethargic and starving to the humane society as we just lost two dogs and our hearts were not quite healed. However, we never made it as the pup crawled into my hubby’s sleeve and won our hearts. She is now an 85 pound lover…………………..Thanks all for caring for all our animals as we could not live without their love and beauty.
We had two dogs, Lily and Copper, both adopted from the humane society, and took them on a trip with us to see my husband’s family in Ohio. On our way back, there was a terrible storm through the upper midwest that knocked out power and roads. We stopped at a small gas station in West Virginia, and went to walk our pups around for a potty break. A little, shivering, skinny pup popped out from underneath one of the gas pups and came over to sniff our dogs. No amount of shooing would dissuade him, and he pranced right along with us on our little walk.
I went inside, and asked the gals working there whose dog he was (mostly to give them a piece of my mind about the terrible condition he was in- I could see his ribs, he was flea-ridden, soaked and filthy, and his fur was matted beyond belief) but they told me that he’d been there for 3 days, and seemed quite irritated that he was getting into their trash. I asked if the shelter had been called, and they said with the storm, no one had gotten out there to pick him up yet. They asked me to please take him, and I was apprehensive.
Getting back to my car, I opened the door, and he jumped right in. Our other two pups seemed to like him, so I went inside and I left my name and phone number with them in case his owners came looking.
On the ride home, our first stop was a local pet chain, where we rented the tub room to give him a quick bath- the fleas were so bad, we didn’t want to expose our pups to too much damage. Then we had to stop again multiple times because he got so car sick and vomited all over my daughter in the back seat.
Once home, I posted a notice in the local paper where we picked him up, and contacted the Humane society there to let them know we had him, just in case, but I was already falling in love.
My other dogs are faithful friends, but Little Jack (as we named him- he was so scraggly and weather beaten, he needed a pirate name) is the best snuggler. He loves to sit in my lap as I work in my office, and is never too far from my side if I’m doing anything in the house.
When people ask about our dogs, I tell them, that we adopted Lily and Copper, but Little Jack adopted us!
Thank you, Kris, for being there for Buddy to adopt you!
Kris- this story from the get go has just pulled on my heart strings and I seem to well up with every photo that is posted. We have 2 rescue puppy who are now 6 years wise. Our German Shepard cross was locked in the pound the night we went to search for our missing kitty – one look into his adorable eyes and we knew we weren’t leaving without him. And a few months later we were at a dog walking class and again we were given the opportunity to adopt. This time a Great Dane who had been shuffled from home to home, nobody sticking by her, so again in that moment we knew she was ours. Now that we have 2 kids, life is busy with the 4 of them but we would never imagine it any other way.
Thank you for what you are doing, adopting pets is everything that is right in this world #gobuddygo
So wonderful to read so many stories about the rescue of so many fur friends. We lost our home to a fire a year ago on Nov 26th. Our human family was not home at the time, for that we have much gratitude. However, our house was so engulfed by flames by the time the firefighters arrived they were not able to save our precious fur children. Two aussie-border mix Aluna and Apolo (1 year), a terrier mix Kiara (14) and our cat Gwen Ben (14). A friend of the family contacted us to let us know when we were ready that she would help us adopt from the Mohawk Hudson animal shelter. It wasn’t easy for us to move forward with accepting new pets into our lives. For the sake of our children I think I did it sooner for them to help deal with their grief. We now have two beautiful pups that we rescued that had been sent up to Upstate NY from Virginia. One is a lab mix Lily, and the other is a shepard mix Bernard (whom we found out is part St. Bernard!!!) They are such gentle beings and have brought with them such a calm demeanor and unconditional love. Something that we so needed after all of the chaos. Thank you so much Kris, for spreading the awareness!! Many blessings to you all!
I am super grateful for your inspiring story! I took in a cat, misplaced just weeks before hurricane Katrina. She was frail and undernourished just like your sweet Buddy boo. As she regained strength, I noticed she was pregnant! During the hurricane, we took in our aunts and their pups from New Orleans, and Tapi the cat gave birth to 6 kittens! It was a zoo in my family’s home in Baton Rouge, LA. Tapi was in poor shape, and so were her kittens. I brought her to a vet friend and learned that she had mastitis. She died peacefully (mama mission accomplished), and I took over from there. I nursed the kittens myself for weeks after the storm while volunteering at the emergency pet shelters in our area. We adopted the kitties out to families. I kept one, the baby boy who stole my heart. Brooster is my soul cat. He has a beautiful spirit because of the unconditional love and gratitude I fed him when he was just a weeeee little babe. We’ve lived in 3 different states together. Brooster taught me to be adventurous, tenderhearted, loyal and free. He just turned 8 this year! I’m a proud mama! http://instagram.com/p/bv571NnBYg/
Thanks for sharing Buddy’s story. It has been so uplifting to watch him recover. I found myself chanting #gobuddygo Almost 4 years ago my husband and I volunteered at a local animal shelter after having to put our beloved rescue Rottweiler mix, Watson, to sleep just months before. We didn’t plan on adopting another dog because we were still grieving the loss of Watson and wanted to just give back to the local shelter. Little did we know we would meet our next furry child. That’s when we adopted a beagle mix and named him Gatsby. He has been a welcome addition to our family. http://instagram.com/p/Xa7D8HyDN-/
He is SO gorgeous! I love dogs to pieces 😀 I’m so glad he’s a happy chappy again! Nearly the same thing happened to our family dog Jess growing up – my granny saw her all chained up and skinny looking somewhere a few times, and when it was clear that no-one was feeding her and looking after her my gran just took her home and she came to live with us and had a great time.
Quite honestly so simple what you did, and yet so powerful. While we are all animal lovers in my family, both cat and dog allergies prevent us from having our own for now. I shared your post with my almost 12 year old son and he absolutely loved it confirming that animals will always be a part of his life in a big way. He connects with animals….any animal like the horse whisperer.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Hi All!
Reading through all the comments, my heart is truly warmed by all the awesome parents to their rescued pets! I tried to keep this as short as possible, but the story is about my two little rescues that each has an incredible story.
Four years ago I was approached by some family friends who had a friend in New Mexico that had this little Italian Greyhound that had no home. She was smaller than a normal Italian Greyhound should be and desperately needed to be with a family. I had grown up with large dogs, both rescues and was in a position where I could take a pup in, but had no experience with a small dog. A week later a 2.5 pound scared little pup arrived at the airport where we waited for her. I held this little, skinny thing and looked at her and thought, I have no idea what to do with this little pup. We went through trials and tribulations between her crying all night, peeing everywhere she went, scared of her own shadow and ultimately learning how to knock over the garbage can to get all the tissues and cardboard-I mean tissues, really?? However, her big eyes and big heart truly had me fall in love with her. We learned a lot about each other. Like how she hates to get wet, and so do I, so she walks very closely to me under the umbrella. We learned that q-tips are not to be consumed because they make her throw up and so we got a bigger garbage can. We learned that she likes to open doors and then gets herself locked into rooms because to her pushing the door always means it opens-it couldn’t possibly close. We also explored all the hiking trails in the New Jersey area. We have been through much together so far and she weighs a hefty 8.3 pounds!
About a year later this same friend contacted me again. They had a male Italian Greyhound that was found at the edge of a canyon with kids trying to tease him over the edge. He had scars all over his body and needed a lot of dental work. They found worms and all other kinds of problems with him. I looked down at my little girl, whom we have just started to adjust to life together and she was finally understanding what house training was-but I knew I couldn’t say no to the little man. It took about three weeks for him to heal his wounds before he could come to his new home which we sponsored for all the work to get done. He was so scared we couldn’t even get him out of the kennel the first day. He had scars all over his little body and lots of missing teeth. He shied away from everyone and yelped whenever we touched him-out of fear. We finally got him home where my little pipsqueak was impatiently waiting for us. Her tail was wagging and she was jumping all over the place. When we put the little man on the ground he instantly ran into a corner where he curled into a ball and refused to move. What does my little female companion do? Spring and bounce over to his corner, tail wagging and starts to lick him all over. All of a sudden the little guy jumped up, ran in a circle and started playing! We couldn’t believe our eyes! They hit it off and became best friends from that moment on.
It has been a long road though with healing the little guy. We also recently found out that my little girl has PRA (progressive retina atrophy) and will eventually be completely blind. What I have learned the most is to realize that life is short and sweet. I look into her eyes now and wonder just how much of me she can actually see. I remember that when she was diagnosed she didn’t feel sorry for herself or even become remotely sad. She continued to love me unconditionally through break ups and loss of jobs and new beginnings. She is the first one to curl up in my lap and remind me of how wonderful and happy life is. She is the first one to dry my tears with her little kisses and make me smile and laugh when it feels like there’s no reason to. She was there when Grandma got sick and passed away and curls up with pop every night to keep him company while he watches TV. She is a priceless reminder of the glory and amazement in life and that there is nothing else but this moment. She has been a continuous blessing as well as my little man who still likes to hide in his corner, but has learned that laps are pretty awesome too. I cannot imagine life without these babies! Because honestly, I have learned more from them and been more loved by them than I could only hope to return half of.
Blessings,
Lauren
Hi Kris – Just love that you’ve adopted Buddy. My rescue story was as unexpected as yours. Several months ago (June) I took a walk on a Saturday and ask I was walking with ear plugs in my ears, one of the residents at a home I was walking past motioned to me. I stoped and took out the ear plug while he was asking if I wanted a puppy. Apparenly this VERY YOUNG little one was abandonded in his front yard and they were going to call the pound because they couldn’t keep it – they were moving. One look and I knew I had to rescue the little girl. She was just so young – wish I could post a picture of her, she was so sweet. Couldn’t have been more than 6 weeks old…we think she’s part jack russell and something else. Anyway, after I stopped being mad at whoever could have abandonded such a little thing, I gladly picked her up and walked back home. We are fully and completely in love and couldn’t think of not having her in our lives. Come to find out, our own very old lady black lab named “Sadie” passed not one month after this. We truly believe God sent “Sophie,” as we named her, into our lives at just the right time. 🙂