STATE: near Hartford, CT
AGE: 2 years
DOB: 5/03/23
WEIGHT: 63 lbs.
SEX: male
NEUT/UTD: yes/yes
COAT COLOR: brindle & white
CHILDREN under 4: no (no history)
CHILDREN OVER 4: yes
SEPARATION ANXIETY: no
OTHER DOGS: yes
CATS: no (no history)
CRATE TRAINED: yes
HOUSE TRAINED: learning
OBEDIENCE TRAINED: no
LEASH TRAINED: no
MICROCHIPPED: yes
ADOPTION FEE: $575
9/10/25-Buddy’s neuter was done yesterday and he did well. This boy is so sweet and gentle & sappy but he is quite the scaredy boy. My husband had to carry him in and out of the vet yesterday. The techs also had to carry him. My heart aches for him. He got lots of kisses from my dogs Bunny and Tyson last night and his little nubbins was wagging. He loves the other dogs.
9/6/25-It has been a week since Buddy arrived and we have seen some progress. He is now eating 2 times a day and has found his way to the community water bowl, which he will share even when my dogs are drinking at the same time. We have been working on establishing a consistent routine for potty but this is a work in progress. He has been sleeping in his crate at night but is gated in the bathroom during the day to provide him more space and this has been going very well. This morning the brave boy emerged from his crate all on his own for the first time! My hubby shored up some sections of fencing, so he is doing better off the tether in the yard. This confirms my feeling that he was a free range farm dog so would do best in a home with a fenced yard. He still is quite timid and will sometimes go behind a bush or pine tree as a little den/hiding spot. We put barriers behind one to prevent him from being antisocial.
He will now sniff & explore the yard and break out into an occasional gallop. No zoomies yet but he is young and should learn this in time. I think he would do fantastic with another young dog in the house who is confident and playful, gender & size should not matter. We had a small dog visitor recently and he seemed to have quite an interest in her and vice versa. Buddy will be neutered on Tuesday so hopefully stopping some of those crazy hormones will help ground & focus him.
9/2/25-Buddy has been with us for just a few days but what we learned about him instantly is that he is an extremely sweet and submissive boy. He has not challenged any of our 3 dogs and will sometimes follow them (not us) in the yard (though he really doesn’t move much yet). He is not skittish but is very timid around humans so we are working on building trust. We started calling him buddy while coaxing him in / out of the house because he is afraid to use the stairs. I usually try to think of a unique & fun name for our fosters but found this to be fitting, and less confusing for him so we are keeping it. He is definitely not a “Thor” lol!! He is afraid of his collar, harness, or any type of tether. This boy lacks confidence and is so confused and shut down, he will need a patient owner who will provide consistent routine and enrichment. We have been using a harness with a handle on it to hoist & get him to walk through our house. I have had to crawl inside his crate to pull him out and then wheelbarrow him in. The good news is once he is in there he doesn’t make a peep and is not destructive to the bedding. Unfortunately when we bring him outside to the tie out, he doesn’t do his business. Instead he will just lay in the grass. I have a feeling that he was a free range farm dog which is why he doesn’t like anything on him. We are using belly bands to keep him from christening our house but he hates this too so he usually just lays down while it’s on. He is finally starting to eat and prefers a little moist food in his kibble so that makes us feel better for him. I’m confident time will bring out his inner sparkle to match his outer beauty!
8/31/25-Introducing our new foster boy, BUDDY!! He is absolutely gorgeous but so completely shut down right now. He barely moves, hasn’t eaten & has Infected ears. You can see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. Makes you wonder what happened to him for 2 years…. We are working on decompressing and hopefully in a few days he will feel safe. More updates soon.
08/29/25-Buddy is a handsome 2 year old male boxer that came in today from a commercial breeder as they just didn’t need him anymore. He arrived safely into rescue tonight thanks to his transport & overnight foster volunteers. He is being treated with medication for a yeast infection in his ears. His initial vet check as he came into rescue noted he may have a low grade 2 heart murmur (often there is no murmur & just stress of coming in from breeder, anxious & noise etc.). We will get a 2nd check on his heart at our other vet during his neuter. He has his neuter on Tuesday 9/9 & will be ready to go home soon after that.
