As the south shore battened down the hatches in preparation for a late September nor’easter, Buddy & Friends Animal Rescue opened its doors and welcomed back scores of dogs they had helped find a home for an Alumni Event.
Adopted dogs got to reconnect with old friends and siblings. Photos by Mike Corkren
More than 125 dog parents registered for the event, held at the rescue's 275 Oak Street facility, which included arts and crafts, photographs, and games for the guests of honor. Canines of all breeds and sizes showed up to enjoy the festivities. Many wore colorful bandanas; some were dressed for the weather in their raincoats. All were well behaved as they played and reunited with the Buddy & Friends staff, and some, with brothers and sisters they had shared a space with at the shelter.
Games, arts and crafts, toys and pictures of the puppies kept the guests entertained.
Painter pups! Paint was put on paper inside a plastic bag while peanut butter and other delicious treats were smeared on the outside. As the four-legged Rembrandts licked, masterpieces were created! Photos by Mike Corkren
This proud pup shows off her pink paw print. Photos by Mike Corkren
How about a doggy shell game? Photos by Mike Corkren
Grabbing a toy from the prize pool. Photos by Mike Corkren
In addition to the guests, several dog-related vendors were there to sell their products and support the shelter. There were scarfs and sweaters, keychains and toys. Many were handmade and all were pet centered.
Several pet-oriented vendors were on hand to tempt pets and their owners. Photo by Mike Corkren
Photos by Mike Corkren
The person responsible for planning the day is Sarah Rapp, Buddy & Friends digital content & engagement coordinator. “Today we invited all our alumni dogs to come, see each other, do some arts and crafts, play some games and just enjoy the day," Rapp said. "We had 127 people sign up for this event, Rapp noted, adding that Buddy & Friends has helped place more than 1,500 dogs over the past five years.
With so many dogs, so many different breeds and personalities, there was no fighting, growling, or misbehaving. “We require training for the dogs, and we make sure when we’re having these events and interacting, they are able to socialize properly,” Rapp explained.
Levi, on the left and two of his friends seemed to enjoy the festivities. Photos by Mike Corkren
Noted Shelter Director Cat Morris “Sarah did an amazing job bringing all these dogs together. It’s a tribute to [her to] have all these dogs here, but it’s also a tribute that all the dogs wanted to come back here, that pet parents actually want to come back to the building, see how it’s grown, see that we actually have a building because for a lot of these dogs it was just a foster-based program. Now they can see we have a daycare and boarding and training and a real shelter room. This is something they wanted to be a part of but they also wanted to see their siblings and they wanted to have some fun, and really be able to give their support back to us.”
A big part of the success of Buddy & Friends is Tina Churchwell, who has been running a rescue out of her home in McNairy County, TN, for 20 years and has been working with Buddy & Friends ever since it opened in 2010. Tiffany McNeil, the director of Buddy & Friends, adopted a dog from Churchwell and then went on to open a rescue to assist her in placing dogs. “I don’t know what I’d do without the people from Massachusetts; I don’t know what in the world we’d do," Churchwell said. "They have given my dogs a second chance to have a real life.
It's an incredible honor to do that."
You might expect a shelter dog to be apprehensive about coming back to a shelter. We saw none of that here. All we saw was happy, playful puppies and their forever families enjoying the day.
Buddy & Friends Animal Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all-volunteer organization based in Pembroke, MA. It relies solely on fosters and volunteers.
For information on adopting and or fostering a rescue dog from Buddy & Friends, click on the box below.
Buddy & Friends Animal Rescue
