They Have Best in Show, We Have Best in Glow!

By Michael Mountain, February 15, 2012

Congratulations to Champion Palacegarden Malachy, who strutted (some said wobbled) his way to Best in Show at Westminster last night. Having won top honors, Malachy is ready for his new life as a highly profitable stud, fathering new generations of Pekingese who will, in turn, be destined for the show ring.

Mr. Buddy Rose isn’t going to be fathering any pups. He’s never going to win any honors in the show ring, either. But when it comes to Best in Glow, he just shines.

Pam Frazier used to see this engaging little pit bull behind a chain link fence in a backyard when she was driving through his neighborhood. One day, she noticed he was having trouble walking. Next time, he couldn’t even get up. She stopped, went in, and introduced herself to his family. They said they were going to take him to the shelter and leave him there. She offered to take him home instead.

When Pam’s vet examined Buddy, he said the paralysis might resolve itself in about three weeks with lots of TLC. But for now, all the Bud could do was crawl around a little, sleep, eat, and take his meds.

Pam went back to his former family to see if she find out more about him.

“He was fed gunpowder to make him mean,” the woman said. “It didn’t make him mean; it made him sick. I thought he was constipated. I gave him some Ex-Lax.”

“Why can’t he walk?” Pam asked.

“He might have been hit with a four-point tire iron. Richard was mad at him. We found the tire iron in the yard, next to Buddy and he had trouble walking.”

Three weeks later, Buddy was still not walking. “He crawled over to me with his big sad eyes and laid his head on my leg,” Pam recalled. “It was as if he was saying, ‘I’m tired. I can’t do this anymore.’ I cried as I rubbed his head and told him I understood.”

A specialist diagnosed myasthenia gravis and put Buddy on prednisone. Three days later, he took his first wobbly steps!

A month later, Buddy could walk a mile, and it was time to wean him off his meds.

Today he runs and plays like any other dog. His legs sometimes shake and tremble, and the vet has explained that this may come and go. He spends  the rest of his days sleeping on “his” couch and playing or wrestling with his pal, Mollie.

Buddy has also learned to swim, always with a life jacket, is great with children, and is working toward his Canine Good Citizen test.

There’s more about Buddy Rose on our sister site, StubbyDog, and he has his own blog and Facebook page too. He’s a delightful pooch with a glowing future.

And, yes, as you well know, there are thousands more like Mr. Buddy Rose. And, thanks to people like you, as soon as they find themselves in a new forever home, they’re all champions when it comes to Best in Glow.