Buddy Archives - i Still Love Dogs

RIP Buddy, the First US Dog Diagnosed with the Coronavirus

Buddy, the German Shepherd from New York who was diagnosed with the coronavirus in May, has died.

“You tell people that your dog was positive, and they look at you [as if you have] ten heads,” his owner, Allison Mahoney, told National Geographic. “[Buddy] was the love of our lives….He brought joy to everybody. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

Was it COVID-19 that killed 7-year-old Buddy, who died on July 11? In early June, he was expected to make a full recovery.

Maybe, or maybe not. Buddy also probably had lymphoma, a type of cancer, according to two veterinarians who reviewed the dog’s medical records but had not been involved with his treatment. It’s not clear whether Buddy died from COVID-19, or if the infection made his cancer symptoms worse, or if he would have died from lymphoma even if he didn’t have COVID-19.

Buddy’s symptoms began in April, when he had difficulty breathing and lost his appetite. Allison’s husband, Robert Mahoney, had already been diagnosed with COVID-19 and suspected that Buddy might have it, too. At that time, a Pug named Winston in North Carolina had (mistakenly) been diagnosed with the disease. The Mahoney family’s other dog, a young German Shepherd named Duke, showed no symptoms.

After a month of visits to three different animal hospitals and as Buddy’s symptoms worsened, on May 15 a private veterinary laboratory agreed to test the dog for COVID-19 — and got a presumptive positive result. The sample was sent to the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), which confirmed it. “This is the first dog in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2,” the NVSL announced on June 2.

Duke tested negative for the virus but did have antibodies in his system, indicating that he may have been exposed, according to the NVSL.

Five days after that positive test, Buddy tested negative for COVID-19, meaning he no longer was infected with the virus.

Buddy’s condition did not improve at all, however. When he began vomiting blood on July 11, the Mahoney family made the difficult decision to end their beloved dog’s suffering. Even though a necropsy — an autopsy for animals — may have provided a clue into what was causing Buddy’s symptoms, the Mahoneys weren’t offered that option. “I would have said, ‘Take whatever you need,’ because I don’t want any other dog to suffer like he did,” Robert told National Geographic.

The Mahoneys are frustrated that public officials showed little interest in Buddy’s case, which could have potentially lead to discoveries about how COVID-19 affects pet dogs. But the Mahoneys are sure that Buddy’s veterinarians did all that they could for their dog. “I think they are learning as well,” Allison told National Geographic. “It’s all trial and error. And they tried to help us the best way they can.”

Although Buddy is gone, his loving family is also helping the best way they can by telling their heartbreaking story to National Geographic reporter Natasha Daly. Rest in peace, Buddy.

A list of animals that have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States is available on the USDA website. In early March, a dog belonging to someone with the coronavirus in Hong Kong was believed to be the first pet dog in the world to get the virus from a human.

However, there’s no evidence that our pets or other animals can spread the virus to humans, the NVSL stated in June.

Protecting Your Dog from COVID-19

To help prevent your dog from being infected with COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you do the following:

Don’t let your dog interact with other people or animals outside your home.
Walk your dog on a leash and stay at least 6 feet away from other people and animals.
Even if they’re open in your area, avoid dog parks and other public places where people and dogs congregate.

If you have been infected with COVID-19:

If at all possible, have another family member or friend take care of your dog.
If you must be around your dog, wear a face mask and wash your hands frequently.
The hard part: Avoid touching, kissing, snuggling or otherwise interacting with your dog.
The most important part: Get well soon!

Photo: Emmanuel Lefebvre from Pixabay (that’s not Buddy)

Tissue Alert! Watch a Senior Golden Retriever Reunite with Her Soldier Dog Mom

There’s nothing quite as touching as videos of soldiers reuniting with the beloved dogs they had to leave at home — especially when the dog is a senior who had never before been separated from her pet parent.

That was the case for a 13-year-old, arthritic and partially deaf Golden Retriever named Buddy. Her dog mom, 21-year-old Hannah Foraker, had Buddy ever since she was a puppy, and had never been away from her home in Cleveland when she joined the Army last year.

After a three-month separation, Foraker was able to return home for two weeks at Christmastime. A video of her reunion with Buddy she posted on YouTube in late February is now going viral.

“Buddy came running, as best as she could, out of the house and said hello to everyone,” Foraker told FOX 8. “At first she didn’t even realize I was there, but she did a double take and came bounding over to me, whining nonstop in pure glee.”

While Foraker was away at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, she tried to communicate with Buddy using Skype.

“She doesn’t understand that her mommy is on the other side of the screen, but she can hear me (with the volume all the way up) and always perks her ears and starts wagging her tail,” Foraker told FOX 8.

Foraker said Buddy never left her side during her visit in December. She just wishes she’d taken more photos.

“I’ve just recently been informed that I won’t be able to go home again until next Christmas,” she told FOX 8. “A lot can happen in a year, but Buddy is a fighter.”

Here’s hoping their reunion next December will result in another viral video.

Grab a tissue — heck, grab the whole box — and enjoy Buddy and Foraker’s happy reunion.

Photo via YouTube

Rescued Beagle Takes 20-Mile Ride on Sideboard of Dog Dad’s Ambulance

Feel free to call a rescued Beagle mix named Buddy an ambulance chaser.

Buddy’s dog dad, 85-year-old JR Nicholson of Mason County, Texas, began feeling dizzy while working on his ranch last month. He asked ranch hand Brian Wright to call 911.

Emergency medical technicians loaded Nicholson into an ambulance and headed for a hospital in Fredericksburg, more than an hour’s drive away.

After they had traveled about 20 miles, a driver caught their attention. There’s a dog on the sideboard, the driver told them.

“It was kind of weird,” Tanner Brown, one of the EMTs, told the San Angelo Standard-Times. “I guess the dog wanted to be with his owner.”

Apparently. And it was kind of a miracle that Buddy had somehow managed not to fall off the ambulance’s narrow sideboard.

“We didn’t have anything else to do but to load the dog up and put him in the ambulance, and take him to the ER with us,” Brown said. Once inside the ambulance, he said Buddy “jumped onto the control switch, and turned on the sirens and the lights.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Wright was becoming concerned when Buddy — who enjoys roaming the property and riding on the tractor — seemed to have disappeared. Wright closed up the ranch and drove to the hospital, where he found out Buddy was safe and sound.

“Two things go through your mind in a split second,” he told the Standard-Times. “First, what could have happened to (Buddy), and second, you realize he is quite an animal.”

Most relieved of all is Nicholson, who adopted Buddy from a shelter just four months ago. During Nicholson’s overnight stay at the hospital, nurses brought him out to see his devoted dog.

“I was impressed,” Nicholson told the Standard-Times. “He didn’t have to go to the hospital with me, but he did.”

Photo via Facebook

‘Mountain Lion’ Roaming City Street Was Really Just a Pit Bull Mix

Residents of Norwalk, Calif., were concerned when a homeowner’s security video camera captured what appeared to be a mountain lion roaming the street late at night.

The homeowner sent the video to the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, which confirmed the animal wasn’t a mountain lion. But officials couldn’t determine exactly what it was.

Norwalk city spokesman Jeff Hobbs told City News Service Aug. 1 that the animal appeared to have a mane, and looked more like a lion.

“Yes, it certainly does look like an African lion. It’s not a cougar,” Craig Packer, a professor at the University of Minnesota Lion Research Center, told the Los Angeles Times.

Joel Almquist, executive director and founder of the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, told the Times that at first he thought the animal in the video was a dog. “But upon closer inspection, said he thought it was a leopard, noting its movement and height,” the Times reported.

The Dept. of Fish and Wildlife told Norwalk residents to use caution, stay indoors and notify authorities if they saw the mystery beast.

Many Norwalk residents wondered how the heck a lion ended up in their Southern California city, which is miles away from any wilderness areas.

The story got international news coverage earlier this month. “At first glance the creature, which ambles slowly and calmly past the security camera, appears to be an African lioness or mountain lion,” wrote the Daily Mail Aug. 4. The article went on to say that officials and experts “have suggested it is — among other things — a mountain lion, an African lion, some type of hybrid dog, a leopard or a large domestic cat. Some have even speculated it could be the mythical Chupacabra.”

But when Brendan Mriz, dog dad of a 4-year-old Pit Bull mix named Buddy, saw the video, he thought he recognized the mystery animal. Could it be his Buddy, who had escaped from the yard that very same night?

Two local security surveillance companies recreated the video using Buddy, and then compared it with the video of the “lion.” Buddy’s gait and physical appearance were a perfect match.

Hopefully Mriz will keep his yard better secured — not only for Buddy’s safety, but to prevent Norwalk residents from having to deal with any future “Chupacabra” sightings.

Photo via Facebook

Viral Facebook Photos of Dog Tied to Trailer Lead to Investigation

While stopped at a red light in Farragut, Tenn., Saturday, a driver spotted a Jack Russell Terrier sitting on the railing of a utility trailer attached to a Toyota Prius. A chain was wrapped tightly around the dog’s lower hind legs.

The driver snapped a picture of the dog. Someone else took another photo when Bob Hill, the Prius driver, emerged from his car and untangled the dog (but left him standing on the trailer, just a foot or two above the roadway).

Both photos were posted on social media, including the WBIR Channel 10 Facebook page.Within a few hours, the photos had been commented on and shared more than a thousand times, with most people demanding that criminal charges be filed against Hill.

The reaction caught the attention of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), which is investigating the incident.

“We’re seeing a lot of how social media affects law enforcement,” Martha Dooley, a KCSO spokeswoman, told WBIR. “We can go back several months and talk about pictures that have been taken on crime scenes and how that makes a story explode. Well, look at this.”

Dooley said the KCSO is investigating how the dog was being transported — “If it is injuring the animal in any way and also how an animal is restrained. Is that causing pain or injury?”

She told WVLT that additional photos of the dog, taken from other angles, are being scrutinized by the KCSO.

According to a KCSO news release, Hill told animal cruelty officers that his dog, named Buddy, had been inside the car, but was whining and wanted to go outside. So Hill said he used the dog’s leash and collar to tie him to the trailer railing.

He said that as soon as he noticed Buddy’s situation, he got out and untangled him.

“We agree that placing the dog on the trailer was not the best choice,” Hill’s family said in a statement released to WBIR. “However, the pictures posted do not show an accurate representation of the events. The dog was thought to be secured safely and at no time was ‘hog-tied,’ and was being watched by the driver.”

Facebook commenters disagree. “There is no way in hell that dog hog-tied itself like that! If you think that’s possible, you’re crazy as the SOB that did it!” wrote one woman.

“I was in the white car pictured beside this jerk and yes, I will freely admit I called the police on him,” wrote another commenter. “This poor dog was scared to death, falling around, trying to get free, causing the rope to cut into his leg. The man had some kind of small black rope clipped to his collar, pulling his neck down towards his back leg, which was hog-tied to the trailer. This jerk had no passengers in his car and even had blankets on every seat. Even if he had passengers, this poor pup should have been inside the car.”

While many states have laws against transporting dogs on trailers and truck beds, Tennessee is not one of them.

“We highly recommend that you always put your animal in a crate,” Amy Johnston, director of the Young-Williams Animal Shelter in Knoxville, told WBIR. “If your car is not big enough for a crate, there are seatbelts that you can actually purchase for your pet.”

Fortunately, Buddy’s legs were not injured, according to the KCSO, which said it is keeping the district attorney’s office updated on its investigation.

“At no time was the dog ever harmed,” Hill’s family insisted in its statement. “It is very concerning to our family of the multiple postings of threats of verbal and physical attacks along with identifying the address of where they live. Our family loves all of our animals and we believe the safety of an elderly couple is also a great concern.”

Photos via Facebook