Hi Christy & Kim,

Although my husband and I have always had animals, it had been almost 10 years since we had our last dog. I wasn't ready to get another one but with the recent death of my mom and the void in my life, when we saw Buddy at Pet Smart back in June 2006, I instantly fell in love with him. My husband was a little apprehensive because we had always had big dogs. We knew Buddy had some health issues and was extremely shy of men because of his abusive background but we decided to take the chance. His foster mom, Kim, had named him Buddy and requested that we keep that name. We already had a cat named Buddy so we decided to name him Buddy Bear.

I can't begin to tell you how much this little "angel" has affected our lives. He is now very well adjusted to his new home and although our three cats aren't exactly thrilled with him, at least they are tolerating one another. Most of his health issues are under control and I am proud to say that he is on his way to becoming certified as a Pet Therapy Dog. He has passed his 1st two evaluations with flying colors so hopefully, in a few months he will be ready to visit in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, etc. Our main interest is getting him into the PAWS for READING program at local libraries and schools, where children read to the dogs and it helps to improve their reading skills. I feel that doing this volunteer work is a way to give back to the community and will enable us to tell more people about Furry Friends.

Thanks to both Kim (his foster mom) and Christy who insisted that we wait to see Buddy Bear that day last June. He has been a real joy and I am sure he will continue to fill our lives for a long time to come. Thank you all for the work that you do to provide these animals a new start in life.

Sincerely,
Marilyn & Bruce Mackey

 

Update April 25, 2007:

We have an event this Sunday at E-town College (Pup-E-Palooza) from 12-5. This event has all kinds of activities such as obstacle courses and agility courses for the dogs. We'll be there from 2-5 and another event on Saturday, May 5th for the Arthritis walk at Overlook Park in on Lititz Pike in Lancaster, PA. Bear also has 4 visits scheduled at nursing home and senior centers. We are so proud of him.

Marilyn

Buddy Bear is a therapy dog with Keystone Pet-Enhanced Therapy Services or KPETS. Click here to learn more about KPETS.