Woman Who Lost Dog to Hurricane Adopts Abandoned Puppy: "Who Rescued Who?"

A pet owner who suffered heartbreak after losing their dog in a hurricane has found happiness after coming to the rescue of another canine companion.

Buster the Labrador Weimaraner mix came into Terri Sanders' life when she needed him most. "He arrived not long after Hurricane Sally hit where I live in Seminole, Alabama," Sanders told Newsweek. "I lost just about everything I owned including my beloved dog Monte. I'm not sure who rescued who here."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that around 3.1 million dogs enter animal shelters in the U.S. every year.

In some instances, dogs are found abandoned with little regard for their well-being. Earlier this year, alarming footage surfaced of a dog being dumped over a razor wire fence while another canine was left at a branch of Burger King alongside a heartbreaking note.

One of the most alarming cases came in New York when a badly abused dog was left in a garbage bag found by police in a Brooklyn parking lot.

Buster went through a similarly harrowing ordeal. "Buster and his sibling were thrown out of a moving vehicle onto the side of the road. They were 4 weeks old," Sanders said. "His sister did not survive."

He was only rescued after a passerby found the pup and took him to the Crossed Paws animal shelter in Flomaton. Despite his miraculous survival, Buster was in bad shape.

"His pelvis was broken and the local vet did not think he would ever walk, but took it upon himself to try to treat him," Sanders said. "For 6 weeks he was kept in a small kennel and allowed out twice a day to give his bones time to heal."

Sanders knew as soon as she saw Buster's picture on the shelter website that he was the dog for her - but there was a problem. "When I called about him, someone had already claimed him," she explained.

A few days later, however, things changed. "The shelter called me to tell me the person had backed out on adopting him. So he was mine if I was still interested," Sanders said.

Buster's ordeal as a puppy has left him with a slight twist in one of his back legs which means he tends to limp if he ends up playing for too long.

Despite this, he enjoys a full and happy life. "He is the official door greeter at my shop, Seminole Serendipity," Sanders said. "He is there with me 4 days a week and loves getting the attention and giving attention. It's funny he can tell when a customer walks in if they are dog people or not. If not he won't even get off his bed!"

When he's not at work, Sanders said Buster spends the remainder of his time at the family property, "happily chasing birds, kissing fish caught in our fish traps or just snoozing in the sun."

A laid-back, affectionate pup who loves climbing up into his owners' laps and enjoying scoops of frozen yogurt at work, Buster may have endured a difficult start to his life but with Sanders, he is "very much part of the family."

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