[Dwight Byrd]

We adopted "Buddy" in April of 2004 from Magyluk Rescue (that is another story in itself).... Anyway, Buddy was a pretty sad looking, skinny and very hyper four year old golden. We will never forget the day that we picked him up and drove him home from Peterborough in the back of the car. Boy did he stink. (Still though, it took about a week or so before he was comfortable enough for me to put him in the bathtub and give him a bath.)
We took him to the vet the very next day to get him checked out. He was over 20 pounds underweight according to the vet and had a number of dog bites on his rear end which had to be treated. It was evident that he was very stressed and that he had not been taken care. There had also probably been some abuse.
The first few months were pretty rough, because Buddy definitely had "attitude", with other dogs, but he was also very insecure and frightened. He was "all over the place", and would bark like crazy every time he heard a sound on the street or if someone came to the front door. It took him a long time to trust us. We have done a lot of training with him, helping him to understand some basic commands. Mostly we have spent many hours just "being" with him, hugging him, kissing him, making sure that he knows that he is special and that he is loved.
It made a difference. Buddy is no longer the same dog he was when we picked him up. He is now a confident, happy, affectionate little guy who has absolutely no question in his mind, that he is loved. He loves to play. It is like he is reclaiming the "puppyhood" that he never expeeinced. And yes, he is now totally spoiled.
Buddy was not a bad dog, he was a misunderstood dog, who was simply not given a chance to grow, and become the golden that he was always meant to be. We consider ourselves blessed for having Buddy come into our lives, and brighten our every day with his golden smile.
Yes, rescuing CAN and DOES make a difference. All it takes is believing that YOU can make a difference in just one dog’s life.