A Second Chance for Buddy After Viral Abuse Video

His story sparked anger, sadness and calls for justice. Tonight, Buddy, the dog seen in a widely shared animal abuse video, is finally safe. A local rescuer has taken him into foster care and says he’s slowly adjusting to a life filled with the care and attention he deserves. Here’s the latest on Buddy’s recovery.

 

On the Phone: Jessica Schreiber, Dog Rescuer

“I just saw the post of Facebook and I probably saw it when it was first posted and it broke my heart and I didn’t sleep very well that night. I thought I can do something. I could not stop thinking about how the dog felt and how he is feeling now and at the time, just the fear and it was hard to go back to sleep. By the morning I knew I would be the one to take him and I told my husband, hey we are going to foster this dog. Right now he is doing very well. He has a lot of fear with doors opening, just any load noises, fast movement, going to pet him he gets fearful but realizes we are going to pet him. I can tell he feels safe. He smiles now, in all the photos I have done and my daughter’s done, he just has a smile and his eyes smile, even though he had gasoline poured in his eyes and he was beaten with a stick. We went to a vet this morning. He still has character. It just needs to come out with trust and he is going to learn trust. It actually will happen faster than we think, because he is so receptive to our care. He is not aggressive at all. He is really a wonderful dog.”

 

In the aftermath of the incident, animal activists have launched an online petition to end animal abuse in Belize through stronger penalties and stricter enforcement.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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