From the Railroad Tracks to Their Forever Home: Buddy & Jovie's Story
Celebrating 10 years of rescue: Buddy and Jovie (2021)
To celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we're revisiting a favorite rescue story from each year. In 2021, we met Buddy and Jovie, who were cruelly tied to railroad tracks
Found tied to the tracks
Buddy and Jovie were found tied to a set of railroad tracks. We will never understand how anyone could do that to a living animal, let alone two dogs as loving and trusting as this pair. Thankfully, someone spotted them in time, before the situation could turn into something far worse.
An unbreakable bond
They ended up at a local shelter, and anyone who works in animal rescue could guess how their story would probably go: Buddy, a golden retriever, would likely have a long line of adopters waiting for him, while Jovie, a black retriever mix, would probably be overlooked for months—simply because of her color, a reality known as black dog syndrome.
Staff noticed how attached the two were, often finding them cuddled up together in the same kennel. We feared someone would adopt Buddy and leave Jovie behind, so we hustled to bring both of them into our care before they could be separated.
A surprise litter
Just as we welcomed them in, we learned Jovie was pregnant. Jovie stepped up as a wonderful mother, caring for her puppies around the clock, while Buddy mostly supervised from a nap.
The puppies were adopted quickly into loving homes. But for Buddy and Jovie, we held out for a family ready to welcome both dogs together, into one home, for good.
Nursing momma hard at work
Buddy and Jovie’s freedom ride from the shelter!
Together forever
We're endlessly grateful to Cathy and her family for adopting sweet Jovie and Buddy, who now go by new names: Maisie and Ben. They sent us this update:
“They've settled in so well, with plenty of space to play both inside and outside. Bennie still loves wrestling with his stuffies indoors, and outside the two of them tear across the yard chasing squirrels, rabbits, and each other—getting delightfully muddy in the process. Maisie is the calm one of the pair, always up for cuddles (especially at 5:30am). Bennie's already dipped his paws in the pool, so swimming lessons might be in their future.”
How you can help
None of this is possible without support from people like you. To celebrate 10 years of rescue, our goal is to raise $10,000 through our 10 for 10 Challenge. Every dollar will go directly toward lifesaving veterinary care, food, boarding, training, supplies, and the countless expenses that come with saying “yes” when a dog has nowhere else to turn.
Will you help us continue saving dogs like Buddy and Jovie so they can have the lives they deserve? Your generosity is the reason dogs like them get a second chance.