Bubba's Story
August 14, 2014
By: Marley's Mutts @Marley's Mutts
It is not very often that you come across a dog in the rescue world that you have the complete background of a dog’s life. The reason we know about Bubba is the result of one heck of a story…
The back story has been obtained by speaking to those involved with saving him from the horrific environment that he lived and from reading parts of the case file that were made public knowledge. I spent time with both the Deputy District Attorney who prosecuted the case and the Animal Control Officer that seized and fostered Bubba.
Bubba had been gifted from a friend to the abuser and was living in a house in southern Sacramento that was filled with squatters. People would come and go and most were drug abusers. Bubba’s owner was the head of the house and would actually charge others rent for staying in the abandoned house. He had serious anger management issues and when things would not go his way in life he would take it out on the dog(s) that he had at the time. A common trend was to secure the dog to a fixture of some sort while he put on metal rings. He would also tie the dogs up with a choke chain and leash and attach them to the A frame of what was a swing bench so that their front legs were off the ground ensuring that gravity would naturally choke the dogs. As if that wasn’t enough, it was when the dogs were tied up like this that he would then beat them further with blunt objects, kicking, and punching.
By the time Bubba was saved by authorities he was the lone survivor of as many as eight dogs that suffered in Bubba’s former home. He had severe bruising and swelling all over his body from being kicked, punched, and hit with objects. He had two fractures on his skull, one on the bridge of his nose and one toward the back of his head believed to be a result of a hammer. He had critical chemical burns on his face, head, and other parts of his body as well. A few of the lasting reminders of his past is the loss of vision in his right eye and some broken teeth and patches of fur that have not grown back from the chemical burns. One other lasting effect of his past is that he remains afraid of the dark.
The dedicated love that Bubba received while at the Sacramento Animal Shelter along with his ability to live in the present slowly brought our big boy back to a place where he did not have to worry about the upcoming beating and/or not having to spend days in a crate in a pitch black room without food and water.
Bubba was at the shelter from October 2013 until March 2014 when the conviction and sentencing took place. Over that time Bubba won over the hearts of many shelter workers and received the type of love he had not previously had in his life. When the conviction and sentencing took place Bubba was quickly taken in by the Animal Control Officer that seized him and lived with her until the later part of June 2014.
So How did Bubba get to be the first rescue of the Marley’s Mutts Nor Cal chapter? Well my good buddy Zach Skow and I were in Santa Clarita California at the Cesar Millan Dog Psychology Center in the beginning of June when a conversation was had about this specific case. The DDA had written a letter to The Dog Whisperer about Bubba and asked for some assistance with conducting an assessment of the dog and provide him with the proper rehabilitation. The letter and the case file was an emotional read to say the least. One thing lead to another and before I knew it Zach and I were trying to figure out how we could assist with this dog. Working with the Cesar Millan Foundation we quickly got to work.
Bubba started the next leg of his journey on June 20th 2014 and is now living with his new sister Paloma in San Francisco where he gets a daily jog, plenty of training and lots and lots of time with Paloma wrestling and loving on each other. Being the first rescue for the Northern CA chapter carries some weight with me, so does the amazing resolve Bubba has. So it did not take more than a day or two before I realized that he is not only the first rescue, he is going to be my pet, my friend, and partner. We can accomplish great things together to help people and animals and we crossed paths at the right place and the right time. He is the “Hooch” of San Francisco…
He gets to run along the shoreline and play in the water at Crissy Field and Fort Funston. He’s quickly getting in shape so he can keep up with Paloma and loves to play fetch and swim. We have big plans and cant wait to see where this journey goes. One thing I don know, he will enjoy everyday we have together.
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