Facebook Campaign Sparks Action in Memory of Buddy

I'm sure we all know of a dog called "Buddy" — in fact it was the #1 name for a dog on Petfinder.com in 2009 — but there's one Buddy will be remembered for more than just a name.

On December 30th 2009, a German Shepherd/Heeler mix named Buddy was dragged to his death at the Colorado National Monument. Steven Clay Romero, 37, of Grand Junction, was arrested for the death of Buddy. Video surveillance at the west entrance of the monument showed a double-cab pickup entering the monument, at 2:18 a.m. Wednesday morning, with Buddy in the bed of the truck. Cameras in the outbound lane showed the same truck leaving the monument without the dog. The head of maintenance at the monument found Buddy with the rope around his neck at about 4:30 a.m. on a road in the monument, where he had been dragged for three miles. Buddy had been stolen from Joe and Sacha Leber the day before he was found dead.

"Demand Justice for Buddy," a Facebook group with now over 267,143 members, formed soon after the story broke to support the prosecution of Romero, his sister, and anyone else involved with this senseless kidnapping and brutal murder. Animal abuse has now become a common topic in Colorado; many of the Facebook members say they never gave it much thought before they heard about Buddy.

Romero pleaded guilty on April 29th to aggravated animal cruelty and faces sentencing in Denver next month, when the trial continues on July 30th. You can email the court, asking them to punish Romero to the full extent of the law and give Buddy the justice he deserves.

Buddy has a granite memorial monument at the animal shelter in Clifton, Co. But people on his Facebook page wanted to do more to remember him, and a sister site, To Honor Buddy "Tell 'Em Buddy Sent You," was formed. Animal lovers from all over the world united to make a difference in animals lives in honor of Buddy.  Kids donated their birthday money to shelters. Churches took up collections to benefit their local animal shelters. People sent food and blankets to animal rescue organizations. Maria Daines — a multi-award winning international vocalist and songwriter from England — wrote "Buddy's Song." A law on domestic abuse in Colorado was recently amended to include companion animals, partly due to the publicity that Buddy received.

Help Save One is a rescue group dedicated to saving the lives of dogs awaiting the gas chamber at shelters in southern U.S. states. On their "urgent dogs" link, you can donate in honor of Buddy at the bottom of the page and 100 percent of your donation will go toward saving a dog in Buddy's name.

"Tell 'Em Buddy sent You" is building a legacy of love for a good dog who met a tragic end. He will always be remembered for much more than the way that he died. In Buddy's name, I ask that each of you please donate food, blankets, toys, pillows, cash and volunteer your time to your local animal shelters. Anything you can do to benefit shelter animals is great ... and don't forget to tell them that "Buddy sent you."

Photo Credit: WW (with permission)