ABBEVILLE – Dogs are “man’s best friend.”

For some dogs, though, the friendship in not a two-way street. Many are neglected, given little food, water or shelter. Buddy is one such dog.

The black lab found much of what he was lacking after he wandered recently into the life of Debbie Garrot.

“It was so sad,” Garrot said of the dog she found near her neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. “The cruelty to this lab was so sad. It is a huge lab that weighed about 40 pounds. He could hardly walk. Can you imagine a lab weighing 40 pounds? He had a chain around his neck and had every parasite you could imagine.

“It was awful.”

After about a week with the Garrots, Buddy gained 10 pounds. Garrot said she believes Buddy, the name she gave the lab, was not a random stray.

“Louis (her husband) and I really believe this dog was originally stolen,” Garrot said. “He knows all kinds of commands.”

Buddy and Garrot’s lives crossed paths recently when she saw the dog crawl under a house.

“I could hear him crying under the house,” Garrot said. “I was able to get him loose and he was looking for water. I brought him a bucket.

“He drank a gallon of water.”

Buddy is not the first animal in need that Garrot has helped. He is, however, the one who needed the most attention.

“It was the worst of the eight that I have rescued,” Garrot said. “It was just, from the moment you looked at him, so sad. He could hardly stand up and could hardly walk.”

After the Garrots brought Buddy to the vet, the dog began his road back to a normal life. Garrot said the goal is to find the still-playful Buddy a good home. Until he is back to near 100 percent, Buddy’s home is with the Garrots.

“We’re going to find him a good home,” she said. “But he’s still on medication for a couple of months. We’re going to hold on to him in that time. Unless we can find someone who is responsible.”

Garrot said, because she believes the dog was originally stolen, her ultimate hope is that Buddy and his original owner will be reunited. Garrot said if anyone is interested in Buddy that she can be reached on her cell phone at (337) 652-6148.

Buddy has grown on the Garrots, and vice versa.

“Yes, he has grown on us,” Garrot said. “And he loves us. He wags his tail. We bring him for walks.

“He’s wonderful.”

Read more: VermilionToday.com - Helping find home for black lab Buddy