In loving memory of BUDDY - A friend till the end.
December 2011.
We were asked to take over an 8 month old German Shepherd
that was uncontrollable. He bit
children, adults, whoever came near him.
The owners were petrified of the dog. We were called in and our first
meeting with Buddy did not go to well. We went home for a muzzle and returned,
but he was having none of that.
I suggested the owners take him to my vet the following
morning for neutering which they did. We collected him from the vet. The dog remained aggressive although a mere
pup at 8 months of age. We drove home
with him in the back seat, listening to the growls coming our way. We got home and he instantly met with our
pack where he was welcomed, that was that, the end of this major aggressive
behaviour.
We were cautious as this 8 month old had a history, so we
monitored him carefully and did notice that certain people were not accepted
and some he tried to physically remove from their vehicles.
We have trained dogs and my younger son decided he would
train Buddy. I myself decided to train a Belgian Shepherd we had that was also
a rescue, we trained these dogs at the same time.
Buddy was a wild child, in that his obedience training
was pretty good, but once we trained off lead, this made Buddy think it was
walk about time. The trainer was more
than concerned and insisted the dog be muzzled.
He never did attempt to go for anyone who was training and never went
near anyone else’s dog.
He was trained in scent work and inevitably attack. He
thrived on attack as if he was born to do it.
My son put in many hours of training with Buddy and Attack was his
passion for sure. He would religiously storm the trainer but over time learned
to return to Michael when given the instruction to.
Years down the line, Buddy has been a faithful friend, a
real protector, he has been a pack leader for all of these years, right till
the end.
We noticed he had a swelling on his paw, it was a growth
and was removed. All seemed well until one day we happened to notice another
growth and on closer inspection found numerous bumps under the skin. We tried alternative treatment, praying for a
miracle, but his end was taken right out of our hands, last week.
He will be lovingly remembered for the adorable animal he
was.
We will never forget him, hopefully there is no need for
attack work in doggy heaven, but I am sure he is lapping up the vast green
lawns and beautiful trees to lie under.
Buddy you meant the world to us........... A heartbreaking night, the night we said
Goodbye to you forever .........
