My name is Vinny Robert and I am a
Federal Work Study student, and I attend the Paramus Campus. This is a story about a dog I rescued. This is Buddy's story.
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Buddy
Photo: Vicente Robert
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Back in early October, while I was
dropping my girlfriend of at her house, I came across a young boxer mix puppy in the middle of the street. I have seen
stray dogs around that area before, and they usually just keep walking. I
normally go up to a stray only because I don’t know the state of the animal’s
health or if it’s friendly.
This little guy came right up to me
and started to play with me. Against my better instincts, I played with him and
petted him. I thought he would run off and I would just have to hope he would
be fine, but he didn't. He stayed right next to my car, as if he wanted me to
take him home. He had a collar, but no tags and he was pretty skinny, which led
me to believe he was not properly taken care of or he had been on the streets
for a while.
I thought about calling Animal
Control or the police, but I didn't
trust any in that area and I was afraid that if he ended up in a shelter, he would be
claimed by the wrong kind of people. I decided to take him home with me and
name him Buddy.
I introduced to him to my two dogs,
one of which was a rescue, and the other which I received because a family member
couldn't keep her anymore. Buddy was scared at first, but quickly settled in. My
two dogs were not too thrilled, but they dealt with it.
I wanted to keep him, but the
situation was hard enough with the two dogs I already had. He spent a little over two weeks with me
while I tried to find him a new home. I tried a couple of homes, but they
didn't work out, so he continued to stay with me. After
thinking about it, and even though it was heart breaking, I decided to take him to the
Bergen County Animal Shelter so that he could receive any shots or treatments he needed and be found
a home.
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| Photo: Bergen County Animal Shelter |
For over a month, I would visit and
call the shelter and visit to inquire about him. They told me that he was being
looked at by their vet and that they would let me know when he was up for
adoption. After the month he was there, I visited again and they told me that he was
deemed "un-adoptable" because of his health issues, and that they were going to put
him down.
My heart broke and I said to them
that I can’t let that happen to him; I took him off the streets so he wouldn't
die. So, I made the decision to reclaim him and make him my dog, and to give him the
home that he needs and deserves.
Now, Buddy is a member of my
family and I am very happy that I could save one life of a poor animal. I encourage
anyone looking to get a dog or any animal to please adopt from shelters or
foster homes.
I also would like to ask everyone to please come and donate to
the Holiday Donation Drive for the Bergen County Animal Shelter in the Student Center at the Paramus campus.
Remember: all these animals need is love and a chance.
