Bouncers Buddies evolved out of a need created when the founder was suddenly physically disabled and needed assistance to maintain her independence. The cost to purchase a dog already trained was thousands of dollars, which was and still is, unaffordable, especially for those on fixed income or with significant medical costs. Bouncer was her answered prayer for a pet companion before; but she neve
r realized the blessing he truly was until she needed him to become a working service dog. Then, they achieved it. Bouncer’s Story
Bouncer was a mixed breed shelter dog in danger of being put to sleep because of his size and energy. He loves people so much, that in his cage he got excited and started bouncing up and down 4 feet straight up in the air! But because he was so big he scared people! That made him un-adoptable. Being he was a mix breed there was nowhere for him to go. His time was drawing short. He had been there for months and it was apparent his chances for adoption were limited. At that point, living in a kennel, separated socially, no pack, no person, at some point that in itself becomes cruel and he either needed to be adopted or put down, to end his emotional suffering which was beginning to wear on his physical health. Then one day B’s-Buds’ founder was looking for a house pet. When learning of his impending fate she adopted him. Really, it was just because no one else wanted him. But little did she know then, that her time was drawing short as well. Maybe Bouncer knew? She calls it Gods plan. Whatever the reason, they connected immediately, and he, unbelievably was adopted! A year later Bouncer is extensively trained as a service dog and works intricately with every aspect of his handler’s day to day life. Her quality of life is greatly improved and Bouncer’s fate? He is his handler’s link to the world and life around her. Now the only worry he has is taking care of his person and retiring as a beloved family member one day and of course all the treats from now on! Bouncer’s handler says ‘Because Bouncer mastered basic obedience quickly we knew how smart he was. Then when I needed a service dog we looked to buy one but the out-of-pocket costs were too high and for a donated trained animal for free the wait list is months or even years. That was too long. So we began to train Bouncer to fit my needs. In the learning process of training of dogs in the past, but cumulating with Bouncer, we’ve learned the skills needed to legitimately help ourselves and others around us.’
The list of qualifying conditions or impairments that service dogs can help mitigate or overcome is extensive. We expect this to create a bonding of the community by leaping across the: generational gaps; across financial class separations, and across racial divides. This will join us together as a community to support each other as a whole. Being neighbors, helping neighbors; we will be creating a living, breathing personification of what small town America truly stands for. Thank you for taking the time to read and give it some thought.
