One man and his dog – a love story

By Catherine Lumsden, Catherine's Puppies

3 October 2019 Editor CHARITY, PETS & WILDLIFE 0

This post is a long time coming and a very emotional one for me. Yesterday our long time resident Buddy left us for his new home in Thailand; he went to join his person, Rene Zuercher, who has dedicated almost four years to a dog that despite many hurdles along the way, he never once gave up on.

Buddy arrived at the shelter not long after we opened; he was a dog that had been broken by abuse and neglect. A Tibetan Mastiff is by nature one of the most loyal dogs but also one of the most territorial and stubborn. Buddy wasn’t an easy dog at the shelter. Only Jane, Rene and I have ever been able to touch him whilst inside the shelter – very few visitors ever even saw him as we couldn’t risk him being around new people. Rene had met and even named him Buddy the day he arrived; he took him out daily into Sai Kung town, the Peak and lots of places as outside the shelter Buddy was a totally different dog. Rene dedicated an incredible amount of time to making sure Buddy had the best life he could. When Rene decided to retire with his family in Thailand, there was no question for him that his k9 pal was coming and it’s fair to say he’s pretty much moved mountains to make that happen.

buddy 1 — Buddy in his travelling kennel.

Having finally found an airline to take him (this was in no way easy) and getting everything sorted, our huge and much loved shelter dog was on a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand. Rene was waiting the other side and despite all of our concerns about Buddy being anxious and traumatised, he was totally fine. They then drove four hours to Hua Hin where Buddy now has a home with a garden to lounge in – and a life we could never have given him at the shelter.

Jane and I will miss both Rene and Buddy, they have been a huge part of Catherine’s Puppies over the years, it’s already strange they’re gone. I will never be able to thank Rene enough for the love, care and dedication to a dog that being realistic – would have likely otherwise spent his entire life at the shelter, locked away when visitors came. If ever there was a happy ending it’s this one… I am so happy to post this update, not to mention a tad teary eyed!