Buddy/Judd and his best pal

UPDATE ON BUD:
I am a former MARS person. A couple years ago, I fostered and found the perfect home for a Red Lake Rosie dog named Bud (now named Judd).

Anyway- he was a big ol' Saint Bernard mix- sweet as sweet could be.... and he had 4 inch shards of glass embedded in his back - over his rump area. I know Karen remembers him.

This boy touched my life forever and he is in the best home now with the most loving family!!! : ) I bawled my head off on the day I had to turn his leash over to his new Mom and family!! Just wanted to share that with you!

Not a day goes by that I don't think of and appreciate all the good you all do up in that neck of the woods. I applaud you all and I know there is a special, special place in heaven for you for all the wonderful miracles you make happen. I've attached a couple pictures of Bud from when he was my sweet foster boy.

I decided to go ahead and contact Bud/Judd's adoptive family to see if I could get anymore information because I too was haunted by that poor stoic, emaciated, and tortured dog when I visited Red Lake Rosie's Rescue for the first time three years ago. Please read my blog post about him from March 2008.

Denise

UPDATE FROM JUDD'S HOME:

Thank you for contacting me. Judd is terrific! I've attached a bunch of pics from the last couple years. When we adopted Judd he was with our dog, Hilda. Hilda passed away about a year after we adopted Judd. Then Chief came into our lives - I adopted him from a guy who found out he was allergic to his dog. He tried to live with his symptoms for a year and then had to give Chief up.

Chief is a purebred German Shepherd who was about a year old when we got him. Lots of energy and definitely kept Judd going. They became instant buddies as you can tell from the pics.

Chief is just as playful, but Judd is slowing down. Judd will always opt for his warm bed over romping in the snow. I guess Judd had enough cold being chained up outside with his previous owner.

He has some eating issues. He will eat a rug, a fake plant, a box of tissues, just about anything from time to time. His stomach is very sensitive so he's on a strict diet and we keep him lean because of his arthritis. We have many different meds to help him, but sometimes his episodes are just inevitable. The good thing is it passes within 24 hours and he's back to normal.

Other than that, Judd has been very healthy. He's so gentle and patient and loving and just a great big, slightly dopey dog. He's adorable and everyone loves him. All the people at our vet clinic know Judd very well from when I first brought him in and told his sad tale. He loves it there too because he gets extra special attention. The vet always jokes that she could probably do surgery on Judd completely awake because he's so good. He will quietly sit through anything they have to do to him.

He had to have another surgery to remove some more glass that came to the surface. His back is also pretty twisted, probably from the glass being in his spine. He looks like he has scoliosis and his tail is completely askew and off to one side now. He's not in pain, he just has a very hard time scratching himself and his range of motion in his back legs is less than it should be.

All in all, he's healthy though and he seems very happy. We love him and feel so fortunate to have him. Judd is great with our two cats. They sense he is harmless and let him sniff them and sit by them. Chief, that's another story. He wants to chase them and they like to taunt him. It's a love-hate relationship with Chief and the cats. Everyone loves Judd though!

Karen, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Judd. We all really appreciate it! I'm not sure if you are the original rescuer - the one who took Judd from his previous owner - or if you know her (I think she's a teacher if I remember correctly). I hope that someone will relay the info to her that Judd is doing great and is very well loved and we can't thank her enough for taking the intiative to help Judd out of a very bad situation.

Please don't hesitate to contact me whenever you need a Bud/Judd fix. You're welcome to visit him too. Just let me know when!

Thank you again and take care, M~

Buddy/Judd is an inspiration

This dog made such a strong impression on me during my last visit to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue (see my previous entries about Buddy on March 11, 2008 and March 17, 2008). I am so happy to report again about how well he is doing in his new home. He even inspired the name for a website design business, http://www.sleepydogdesign.com/!

Judd is the real inspiration for the Sleepy Dog name. Yes, he is a sleepy dog most of the time and he assists me in my work by lying at my feet until the job is done, but he has a very sad story (with a happy ending!)...

Judd is originally from Northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border. Before his rescue, his owner left him chained up outdoors with no food or water, surviving on plants and snow and who knows what else.... Besides living in the extreme elements, he also had an open wound on his back of unknown origin. There were several glass shards sticking out of his back and his owner did not want him inside because he would "start to bleed when he warmed up"!

Thankfully, the owner's daughter told her teacher about Judd one day. Shocked by her student's account of her dog's predicament, the teacher made every effort to get Judd help... (and) the owner finally agreed to surrender Judd to the teacher.

He was promptly taken to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. Judd was immediately treated for his back wound. The veterinarian pulled 5 pieces of glass out of his back (the largest piece was 2" x 3"!). Upon further examination, Judd was 30 pounds underweight (an adult Boxer/St. Bernard mix weighing only 70 pounds!) with a BB gun pellet near his spine. Judd also tested positive for Lyme disease, heartworms and anaplasmosis. On top of all this, he had ground his front teeth down to nothing from chewing on his chain trying to escape his prison.

After a few weeks of recovery, Judd was transferred to Midwest Animal Rescue Services (MARS) and ... his story was published in his online adoption post. That is where we come into the picture. Having recently lost one dog unexpectedly, our remaining dog, Hilda, was very lonely and needed a companion. We were reluctant to adopt another dog so soon after Oswald's passing, however after reading Judd's story online, there simply was no other choice....

In the month since his rescue, Judd gained 30 pounds and his back started healing nicely. He charmed everyone who came in contact with him.... Judd is currently undergoing treatment for all his parasitic diseases and is expected to fully recover. Judd spends most of his time sprawled out on the office floor as I work at my computer. He is such a loving, friendly, and obedient dog that it's hard to believe he came from such a horrible situation. If he wants to spend the rest of his days being a lazy, sleepy, totally pampered dog, he well deserves it!

Buddy finds a home!

Buddy is making a fresh start in a new home with a new name, Judd.

A couple with a 5-year-old son adopted Judd and the woman has been updating the original foster caregiver almost every day!

The fostercaregiver wanted Karen to know:

Honestly, had it not been for the fact that I could just TELL that this was the best new family for this dog- I never could have let him go!! It was one of the hardest things for me as I really fell hard for this boy! But he sure is in great hands now- and that makes me know it was the right thing to do.

Here is the latest update from Buddy/Judd's new home:

Juddy has a HUGE appetite! After much experimentation I found the trick! He likes dry kibble with canned dog food mixed with some warm water (so it's like gravy) poured on top. He's gobbling down his food now and he's even taking treats from my hand when I hold them out. He used to only do it if I cupped my hand underneath his mouth, but now he takes it, albeit gingerly, right from my hand and munches it up right there, ready for the next one. I'm so happy!

I've also noticed he's more playful. I am going to have to take him to a dog park. He wants to run and romp around with Hilda, but they're always on leashes so it's hard. I want him to run around and have fun before he gets on his heartworm meds.

He also has a bladder made of iron. I take them out every 4 to 5 hours at the longest and Oswald would always take the opportunity to pee even if he didn't really have to go. Judd Bug will just choose not to go if he doesn't really have to and then the next time or even the time afer that, it's like a fire hose.

He also likes to lick snow and will try to eat dry grass (like the tall ornamental grasses). I wonder if that's what he survived on before being rescued.

His back is healing up nicely. Only one little scab that still looks a bit tender towards the base of his tail. I've been putting some tea tree oil on it regularly and it's getting better. The big one looks really great.

Judd Bug is much less like velcro these days. As long as he knows where I am, he's okay. If he hears me get up from another room and walk then he has to know where I'm going. When I leave to pick up Morgan he waits by the windows by the front door and watches for me to return. When I pull up in the driveway, his head pops right up to the window and when I get through the interior garage door, he's sitting, patiently waiting right on the other side of the door.

He's such a good dog and so, so sweet. In case you ever worry, I do appreciate him immensely.