Lefty (Now Buddy)
Friends We Didn't Know We Had
Lefty was a dog that my friend, who was a local health worker in the community, had seen that she knew needed help and had wanted to help for a while, but wasn't able to.
We were in town checking on another dog called Shirley, when we passed Lefty's original owner on the road, who was walking with both Lefty and another dog called Sheba, there are no coincidences!
This was the beginning of a tough weekend as my friend alerted me to 7 dogs in immediate need, all of whom I had to step up for on the spot, which pushed me to the edge on many levels as each dog costs an average of R1,500 per month, excluding vet bills.
I can barely manage my own rescues, but when you add other people's rescues to the mix and less than 5% in donations, this creates a huge amount of strain, and that weekend saw the rescue of Lefty (now Buddy), Sheba (now Lady), Shirley, Brown, Jenny, Jax & Jessie.
Nonetheless, there was no way that I could leave these dogs in a situation of neglect, suffering and danger, so as always, I said yes in faith and these dogs walked in blessing from the moment they were collected, with friends they didn't know they had.
A Very Serious Health Condition
Lefty was rescued on the 9th May 2025 from a lady who was very poor and also in poor health, both physically and mentally.
Although she didn't have much, she loved him with all her heart and cried so hard when she handed him over to me, together with Sheba, I hugged her and she hugged me tightly back.
First stop was the vet as Lefty was circled by flies and needed to be checked out, and I was surprised at being told that he was very close to needing a blood transfusion as a result of the parasites that overwhelmed him.
We were given medication, I treated him for fleas and ticks and de-wormed him and my friend hand-picked every parasite she could see from his body, which he graciously and gracefully allowed without any fuss, including from his testicles, a Mother's Day that will forever be etched in her mind!
Hand Picking Fleas & Ticks (Video)
When he got tired, we let him move around and take a break and when he was ready, we started again, one section at a time, until we had removed everything over the course of around 4 hours and then we gave him a nice warm bath.
Monitoring Closely
We followed the vets instructions, monitoring him closely, keeping up with his meds and taking him for check ups to keep an eye on his blood count, and by a miracle, he regained his strength naturally, we had caught him just in time.
The lady who helped me rescue him fell in love with him, something that happens quickly when you hand-pick parasites from a dog's entire body, and they trust you enough to allow you, and she looked after him for a few days.
Eventually, she returned to work and Lefty returned to me where he stayed for a couple of months, we even went on a little holiday, which he enjoyed immensely, but as he grew stronger, he began to challenge my big dog Scooby and we had to make a plan to move him.
When he was well enough, we decided to put him into boarding as it's important to have a pack that gets along for the most part for the ease of everyone concerned, including the dogs, and we managed to put him with dogs he was able to get along with.
Thankfully, he was only there for a few months and one day, out of the blue, his new adventure began when a wonderful angel called Doreen came to his rescue on the 29th of December.
Divine Intervention
The way Lefty's home came about was quite profound and a definite move of the Holy Spirit, who woke me up strongly at around 4am causing me to write a message to a young girl called Kirsten, who had been on my heart for a while.
I had previously re-homed a Cocker Spaniel called Kiki to her, as a friend for her dog Zinger, but her relationship with her partner fell apart and Kiki was returned to me by her partner, and I was upset that she hadn't made contact herself.
The timing wasn't right to address this matter sooner, but that particular morning it was, and I said everything I needed to say, holding onto the message until a more reasonable hour that day.
Around 4pm that afternoon, I was reminded to send the message, which I did, and in it, I shared my disappointment with the way things were handled, my gratitude at Kiki's return and also extended my hand in case she ever needed help with Zinger.
Lo and behold, 6 minutes after I sent the message, I saw a Facebook post from an anonymous account asking for urgent help for a dog called Zinger as the person had lost their home and needed a safe haven for their dog, it was Kirsten...
Zinger's Perfect Home
I called Kirsten immediately, telling her how the Holy Spirit had woken me up at 4am, that 6 minutes after sending her that message I had seen her Facebook post and that clearly, God had her back and had sent me to help her.
She told me that she had no idea about a number of things that had transpired, including Kiki being returned with a deep bite wound to her face, that she had been prevented from taking her and that she was sorry as to how things had turned out.
I knew in my heart that everything had turned out exactly as they were supposed to as Kiki was returned to her original family in an unexpected way which had turned out perfectly and now, I was able to help Zinger too.
Kirsten was relieved to hear from me as she was beside herself with worry, having been couch surfing at friends houses and was no longer in a position to have a dog due to her working conditions being changed from home working to having to return to the office.
Having set her mind at ease that she wasn't alone and would not have to take Zinger to a shelter, I gave her pointers to assess potential candidates and by the weekend, hard as it was, she had found Zinger's perfect home.
A Full Circle Blessing
Here is where it comes full circle, one of the responses that Kirsten received, which she forwarded to me, was from a lovely lady called Doreen who sent the most beautiful message, offering Zinger a wonderful life with her and her pack.
The perfect home is always evident by the first message and Doreen stood out like a light in the dark, beaming brightly for all to see, yet, Kirsten didn't choose her, for no other reason than we choose people who are like us, and Kirsten chose a younger person she related to.
Doreen stuck in my mind as perfect homes are hard to find, they are very precious and rare and it's a miracle when the right people find us and we them, and I was inspired to ask Kirsten for the contact details of everyone she rejected, including Doreen.
Kirsten obliged and I set to work contacting each person, but out of all the leads, only Doreen was a perfect match, and whilst her first love was Cocker Spaniels, Border Collies were her second, and I felt to tell her about Lefty, a 5 year old BC in need of a home.
Immediately upon seeing Lefty's photo, Doreen said yes without hesitation, arrangements were made to collect him at the earliest opportunity, which was the following day and unbeknown to Lefty, a new adventure awaited.
The Red Carpet Treatment
Doreen arrived exactly as planned and Lefty, who had already been named Buddy after Doreen's previous dog who left this earth too soon, leaped enthusiastically into her car.
Upon arriving at his new home, Buddy was introduced to the rest of the pack and was treated to a lovely swim, which was exactly what was needed after a hot car ride and he found his own way in and also back out with glee!
After his swim, he chased a stick a few times and then settled in and found his spot with the rest of the pack, lying in the shade at the entrance of the cottage guarding his stick, followed by 3 more afternoon swims and finally had a rest on the red Persian carpet in style!
Buddy Chasing A Stick! (Video)
The next day he met some of the guests who were staying at the guest house who were very quickly besotted with him and an appointment was made for the beauty parlour for a much needed groom and freshening up.
Doreen loved him instantly, he is so like her previous Buddy, gentle, calm and relaxed, and took over from where Buddy number one left (pictured below just before he passed), not in a replacement way, but as a glorious addition, a dream dog with his own unique spirit.
Age Is Just A Number
A couple of days later, Doreen contact me to let me know that Buddy was definitely much older than what I had told her, and that he was at least 10 years old or more, which was a disappointment and surprise to us both as it meant that he had less time to enjoy his new life.
Whilst Doreen was really sad about this as she was hoping for a young friend for Lilly, she was committed to doing everything she could to make his last few years comfortable, beginning with sorting his teeth out, which I was not aware were a problem.
I berated myself for not knowing any of this, despite always doing everything in my power to know everything, to the best of my ability, together with controlling all the balls and doing everything that's necessary as soon as things are known about.
I concluded that the vet focussed on his immediate issue, which was his closeness to needing a blood transfusion, as opposed to his overall health, but regarding his age, this bothered me and I decided to go back to the person I got him from to find out more.
Sonja told me that Lefty was definitely 5 years old because she got him from a farm in 2020, she had him from a small puppy, and she called him Lefty, not because of his left blue eye, but because of a leg injury on his left leg, giving us more information than we had before.
Happy Ever After
I relayed this information to Doreen, who was overjoyed to discover he was the age I said he was and hopefully, the vet will be able to confirm more when it's time for his dental work.
Buddy is an anomaly as he runs like a young dog, but has the demeanour and character of an old man, so it's hard to tell his true age and we can only go on the information we are given.
From the moment we rescued him, he was a perfect dog, trusting us, allowing us to take care of him and surrendering himself into the loving hands of whoever was helping him.
His perfect home was found as a result of helping someone else, who ended up helping me, with Buddy receiving the most wonderful blessing, where he can swim, bask in the sun, be-friend the guests, herd the tortoises and chase a stick to his heart's content.
Buddy's story is one of resilience, a genuine love for everyone and a readiness for whatever life brings, no matter how hard, he faces it like a champ, may Buddy continue to be blessed and may he bring happiness and joy to everyone he meets.
Join Our Lighthouse Family!
With so many lives in our hands, we are always in need of support and we invite you to join our beautiful Lighthouse Family so that we can share our wins, our wagging tails and our wisdom.
Our intention is to expand our Lighthouse Family with supporters, shine a light on the plight of those onboard Amanda's Ark and share our journey to motivate, uplift and inspire others.
The total cost of Buddy's rescue including vet bills and looking after him from the 9th May to the 29th December when he went to his perfect home, was approximately R12,043.
This includes boarding, food, flea and tick and worming treatment, medicine, supplements, vaccines, sterilisation, fuel, data, airtime, electricity for cooling, heating and washing, and salaries for the staff who look after the dogs.
I don't take a salary, it actually costs me everything I have to rescue and care for those under my wing, so if you can help in any way, please do, and in return, I will lift your spirit and warm your heart with lovely testimonies such as Buddy's.
Subscribe & Share!
If you enjoyed this blog, please subscribe and please share!
And if you feel called, please Donate here to contribute towards our overall monthly rescue costs, or via the link below to contribute directly towards Buddy's rescue.
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/buddys-rescue-costs
Every penny donated goes to the animals we rescue whose lives we profoundly touch, who touch us in return, and facilitates a labour of love that transcends words.
We are privileged and honoured to serve and we invite you to join us, that we may continue to shine brightly, lighting the way for others.
With deep gratitude,
Amanda Lighthouse ⛯
Chief Servant & Rescue Angel 😇
Amanda's Ark 🐾
