Abandoned 8-Year-Old Dog Had ‘Lost All Hope,’ But New Family Changes That

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A few years after losing our big dog, my partner and I started looking at getting another. We contacted a local rescue to see if they had anyone that would work with two children who were 5-years-old and 3-months-old, a small dog, a cat, and some rats. We wanted to be 100% sure we found someone that would work for all of us.

We were told about Buddy, an 8-year-old shepherd cross. He had come from a family with eight kids that had had no luck finding a place that would accommodate them and him, so he was left at the pound. The photo they sent me broke my heart. He seemed to have just lost all hope, head down, not noticing the camera at all.

I had to meet him. We had him come and meet all of us, and he was the sweetest. He played like a puppy and just wanted to be touched. We had him for a trial, but it quickly came to light that something was not as it seemed. He was good with kids and fine with the other pets, but he was wary of my partner. A week into the trial, when my partner came home from work and got changed, Buddy curled in on himself and wet the floor when he heard him undo his belt buckle.