His Name is “Buddy” and He’s Begun a New Life Away From Abuse

His name now is “Buddy”, a new name to leave the past behind, just as he is leaving his old life behind for the one he has now.

It was just days ago that a video made its rounds on social media showing the pit bull mix being beaten with a stick. It became the latest case of animal abuse that revived public outrage. But now, he’s settling into a new home with his foster mom, Jessica Schreiber, the woman who stepped forward to rescue him.

Schreiber told News 5 on Wednesday that she could simply not shake off the footage after seeing it. “I think I had probably seen it towards the beginning, when it was first posted, and it broke my heart, and I couldn’t really sleep very well that night. I just felt like I needed to do something,” Schreiber said. By morning, she had told her husband they were taking the dog in.

His old name was Big Boy. Schreiber chose Buddy instead. “I wanted to leave his past in the past, and I went with something that sounded similar to that, but also represented that he’s gonna be either my buddy or somebody’s buddy from now on,” she said.

Buddy has started daily eye treatment following the gasoline attack and is awaiting bloodwork results.

Schreiber said that although Buddy remains with fear responses for now, like “flinching anytime anything comes towards his face”, he has shown no aggression and remains affectionate with everyone he meets.

Schreiber, who already cares for seven other dogs, said she has not come to a decision whether to keep Buddy completely or rehabilitate him until he’s ready for another loving home.

On Monday, 11 organisations issued a joint statement calling the incident a symptom of a larger societal problem, and police confirmed the Cotton Tree Village case remains under investigation.

No charges have been filed against the man seen in the video.