by Dorothy Wills-Raftery

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of Buddy, the Christmas Husky~A True Holiday Miracle and a link to purchase the book–perfect for your holiday shopping!

Christmastime is here. A time for shared tales of hope and joy, such as the story of Buddy, the Christmas Husky. On a snowy Christmas Day in 2011, a sick, freezing cold, and starving dog found himself wandering the streets of an Arkansas town and right into traffic. His magnificent breed of Siberian Husky was barely detectable.

His skinny body had very little fur and was covered with sores and buckshot wounds. Vehicles swerved to miss him, and horns blared at the sick and scared Husky, but no one stopped to help him until one lady, who lived nearby, heard the commotion from inside her house and looked out to see what was going on.

Buddy today

This Good Samaritan named Geneva, went out into the cold that Christmas Day and rescued the near dying dog, bringing him into her home to care for him, feed him, and find him a loving home. The dog was named Buddy, and through a caring network of Facebook pet lovers across the globe, ‘Team Buddy’ formed and raised funds to help this homeless, heartbroken, and ill Husky. Together with Geneva, Team Buddy found him a new loving foster mom named Shari ‘Mama Shay’ Baillargeon, who traveled from states away in Georgia to bring him home and give him the love and care every dog deserves. Today, while still fighting some ongoing health issues leftover from those past dark days, as well as lymphoma, Buddy receives ongoing treatment at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and is a very handsome, happy Husky who loves meeting people and traveling to new places!

Buddy is a canine star in his own right, with nearly 20,000 ‘friends’ following him on his Facebook page to date! Reading about Buddy’s journey, and how a global community came together through social media to help him, I was inspired to write his story in a book all about his life, Buddy, the Christmas Husky~A True Holiday Miracle, illustrated by artist Barbara K. Slocum.

For a dog who was once so abused he feared people, today Buddy happily and easily steps into the limelight! Most recently, he embarked upon a road trip with Shari this past August from his home state of Georgia up the East Coast to the Hudson Valley, New York. They were bringing his traveling companion, another Husky Shari was fostering named Nala, to meet her forever mom and join me for a fun book signing, meet-and-greet event in New Paltz, New York, overlooking the spectacular Shawangunk Mountain ridge at The Parish Restaurant outdoor patio.

Folks turned out to meet The Christmas Husky, traveling from the far corners of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts! With stops along the way from Georgia to New York to meet some of his fans, Buddy shared his message that, “Rescue Dogs Rock,” and hopefully not only bring awareness to the plight of abused and abandoned dogs everywhere, but to also promote fostering shelter dogs, giving them hope for finding a loving forever home, just like Buddy.

“I’m so hopeful that Buddy’s book will make people look at special needs dogs with a greater sense of worth. I want someone years from now, after Buddy and I are long gone, to see a dog, or other animal, who is in bad shape, and help them because they remember Buddy’s story,” says Shari, adding, “Buddy’s care is very expensive. Every dollar from book sales and other donations mean Buddy can have the medication and treatment from the University of Georgia Teaching Hospital that he badly needs. When Buddy has had his needs met, we also have donated to other pups in his situation—Shari’s Buddy’s Buddies fund.”

After the book was finished, and Shari first read it, she said, “My favorite part, even though I cry just thinking about it, is when Geneva retrieved Buddy from the middle of the busy road on Christmas Day. He was so sick and frightened; he had been treated so badly, but trusted her enough to go with her.”

Illustration from Buddy Book

The book was named Best in Print by American Pet Magazine for the past three years. It is a story for all ages that not only will teens and adults enjoy, but parents can read it to their young, with the hope that it encourages children to be compassionate, and grow up to advocate helping animals in need. It contains illustrations of Buddy’s journey that will leave the reader quickly turning the pages to see how he fares, and the centerfold is filled with a real photo timeline of Buddy’s journey and his transformation over the years. But, be alerted that tissues will be needed for this inspirational story!

And just what does The Christmas Husky think about a book being written all about him? Shari smiles and speaks for her rescued Husky. “Buddy knows that he is a very special boy and being the superstar that he is, of course, he would have a book!” she says with a laugh. “Buddy was treated so badly before his rescue, but it’s amazing how he expects everyone to love him now. He never meets a stranger because so many know of him already! And, if he spoke human, he would be saying, ‘I am Buddy—The Christmas Husky. I know you have probably read my book!’”

And if you haven’t read Buddy’s book yet, hopefully you will soon! Put it on your holiday gift list or get a copy for a special someone’s stocking! A portion of sales from the book I donate toward Buddy’s ongoing care through Shari’s Buddy’s Buddies fund.

Books are available through the online store at ArcticHousePublishing.com and also on amazon.com (look for ArcticHouse Publishing as the seller).

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Since Christmas is right around the corner, one lucky USA resident can win an autographed copy of Buddy, the Christmas Husky~A True Holiday Miracle and a red “I love my Siberian Husky” drink koozie in a special holiday giveaway here! To enter, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “buddy,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 17, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out more pet stories and articles in our Pet Perspective section, including a column from Fresno Bully Rescue every other month. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to an animal rescue.

Dorothy Wills-Raftery is an author, photojournalist, and host of “The Sibe Vibe” on Dog Works Radio. She has been writing and published in a variety of publications since she was a teen, and spent her career as an award-winning photojournalist and editor in the educational arena for 14 years. In 2010, she began writing about Siberian Huskies, and was named “Best in Print” author for 2015 by American Pet Magazine, awarded Hudson Valley Magazine’s ‘Best Author 2015,’ and is a 2015 Dog Writers Association of America three-time “Excellence” nominee. Her journey with her own Epi-dog, Gibson, was her inspiration behind her books What’s Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy and EPIc Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy, and is the face of the #LiveGibStrong K-9 Epilepsy Awareness campaign. Dorothy is an official Purple Day® Ambassador since 2012 and a volunteer case manager for The Wally Foundation~Canine Epilepsy. Her five Siberian Huskies are the inspiration for her globally top-ranked Siberian Husky website, the FiveSibes™ blog.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases.