Lost chihuahua finds a new Buddy

His name is Buddy and that's exactly what he's become for a little dog named Cindy who was caught in a tight spot.

Cindy, a 15-year-old chihuahua Jack Russell terrier cross, was facing grim prospects at Christchurch City Council's animal management shelter  until Buddy came along with his animal-lover owner Hayley Hare.

Hayley Hare with Cindy, right, and Buddy

Hayley inherited Buddy, a chihuahua fox terrier cross the same age as Cindy, from her late grandmother eight years ago. When the 25-year-old saw a photo of Cindy on the Council's Facebook page, she felt so sorry for her she went to the shelter as soon as she could. She took Buddy with her to see if the pair would get along and luckily they hit it off.

"I thought he could do with a friend. I know I haven't got much time left with him, a year or two, so when I saw her I thought they could enjoy the time they have left together.”

She couldn't bear to leave Cindy, who was unregistered and unclaimed, at the shelter for a minute longer at her age and decided to adopt her immediately. "When I saw her there, I said, ‘I'm taking her home now. She can't stay here today.' Being such an old dog - I couldn't even imagine leaving my dog there.”

Hayley is a commercial painter and she takes Buddy to work with her whenever she can. She has bought him a high-vis vest for safety and now that Cindy comes along too, she wears a matching vest. The dogs spend most of their time napping in her van but she likes them to follow health and safety regulations.

The two dogs cuddle up at night together and Hayley says they have very similar personalities. "She follows him around, they're good mates. They both love cats. When Cindy sees my cat her tail wags."

She says Cindy is "15 years young" but is quite deaf which can make it a challenge to look after her. Hayley has started trying to teach her to understand signs as commands. "She's an awesome wee dog. I feel quite sorry for her. With my dog, he's pretty happy and jumpy, but she doesn't really do an awful lot. But she's pretty happy now."

Hayley says she has always been soft-hearted when it comes to animals. She also adopted her cat after finding it abandoned in a rubbish skip as a kitten. "It's not their fault they've ended up in a bad situation, it's our fault, so I feel obliged to make up for other people's mistakes. It's in my nature to do this kind of stuff."

Council Animal Management Shelter Assistant Rowyn Hocking said staff members were relieved by the positive outcome for Cindy. 

"We know it is a big ask for someone to take on an older dog, so we were extremely pleased when Cindy was chosen by Hayley and Buddy, and given a chance to see out her retirement. Without kind-hearted people the outcomes for our senior dogs would certainly be bleak."

More dogs are available for adoption at Christchurch City Council’s animal management shelter in Bromley.