Part 1 - Where did Buddy's life begin?
Before I get started, it might be helpful to give you an overview of who Buddy is and a summary of his life so far. Buddy is a dog with a very unfortunate past. As a result, he came to me fearful of all things and would bite when he got too scared - which was very often since he was afraid of everything. Prior to biting, Buddy does not give any warning, he just goes straight to a bite (not a nip - Buddy bites). He is like this because the people in his past taught him that biting was his only option to protect himself, and the methods they used did not teach him to be confident and comfortable with the world. These people did not intend to teach him to bite, they just did not know how to handle a fearful dog, unfortunately, most people don't.
One thing which compounds Buddy's situation is that in addition to the people in his past not knowing how to properly handle him, he had multiple homes prior to coming to me. Being uprooted and shuffled around so much (he had 4 different owners) has taken a toll on him, making it difficult for him to trust and feel safe. His behavior is a direct reflection of this and this is something that will take years for him to recover from, that is IF he can recover from it. I was never supposed to have this dog, and I didn't want to have a dog, I only offered to help the last owner with him; they assured me they would participate in the process and then resume responsibility for him. Unfortunately, they did not follow through and they pushed him off onto me. This is how I ended up with Buddy.
I will tell Buddy's story in a series of blog posts, starting with Owner #1.
Owner #1
Buddy started his life with a breeder who states he was kept in a 4' x 8' kennel located in a 30' x 40' outbuilding for his entire life before being sold in May of 2020. The breeder claims to have no records, so based on a veterinary examination, Buddy was estimated to be approximately 5-6 years old when purchased from the breeder.
Per the breeder Buddy had no interaction with anyone except the breeder, and only had interaction with the breeder for feeding and whatever minimal care he was given. He had never been to a vet; per the breeder there was no need since the breeder administered his vaccinations. Buddy was not exposed to anything other than what he experienced inside his kennel in the outbuilding. He had no exposure to people or anything in the outside world. When asked why the breeder kept him for so long, the breeder stated "he just didn't sell" because he was a little aggressive due to his fear of people resulting from lack of exposure to people, "he's just afraid", the breeder said. The breeder states Buddy was never used as a stud dog to breed other litters.
Buddy's lack of exposure to people, other than the breeder, for Buddy's first several years of life would certainly cause him to be fearful of people. If he had not been exposed to being in a house, with all the sounds and activities that occur in a house, this would present another source of fear he would need to overcome when placed in a home.
Read Part 2 - Buddy Finds a Home
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