We don’t know much about Buford’s life prior January 2018, but what we do know is horrific, and no soul— human or animal—should suffer like he has. Buford was surrendered to the Austin Animal Center after his owner passed away in January 2018. He bounced back and forth between his new owner and the shelter for fourteen months until a good Samaritan found him lying in the middle of Slaughter Lane, covered in maggots and with extensive bite wounds to his neck and head, in March 2019. He was taken to the emergency clinic where he received multiple surgeries. After nearly a month of recovery, Buford was released to a wonderful foster mom named Laurie, where he continued to recover and learn to trust humans again. We met Buford on June 30, introduced him to our other fur babies on July 2, and brought him to his forever home on July 3.

We have been rescuing dogs for more than twenty years and cats for five years. Anytime one of our animals crosses the rainbow bridge, after about a month of mourning, we choose to honor them by rescuing another animal in need. It never replaces the lost pet, but it honors and extends their memory. We just lost our beloved German shepherd, “Thor,” to pneumonia in May 2019. He was a senior rescue dog (whom we rescued after losing another German shepherd to degenerative myelopathy) with numerous health issues, as well. We asked to meet Buford because we are suckers for the sad story, we are accustomed to the additional needs of a senior dog, and we knew we could provide this gentle giant the stability and love he so desperately needed. We are so grateful he chose us!

As a “talking” Lab, ten-year-old Buford has delighted us with animated stories of how he spends his days, and he loves to bring us his toys for tug or fetch, and to go for evening walks. Our current dog has been a great help in showing Buford the daily routines, including how to use the automatic dog door and how to scam us for treats. For a dog with no reason to trust humans, Buford gives his cuddles and love freely—we can only hope to earn it.