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DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A stray dog has found himself a new home but how he got there is quite the story. Those involved in his rescue, and now adoption, said none of it happened by chance, but that it was meant to be.
Buddy has been through more than most dogs his age. For years, he's been the stray living off Covington Highway in Decatur. He could be found hanging out by the old Publix or at Atlantic Fine Woods, where Laura Sissoks, was feeding him.
"He finally let me pet him and I decided when he's calm enough to let me bath him and cut off his matted fur I would take him in full time," said Sissoks.
But to Laura's surprise, Buddy quit coming around.
"I was very upset. I cried more than a few tears and I talked about him with my therapist," said Sissoks.
What Laura didn't know was that PAWS Atlanta had also been looking for Buddy.
"We got a phone call over a year ago from someone who saw Buddy running in the woods by Publix," said Laura McKelvey, PAWS Atlanta.
It took a year, but they finally caught him.
PAWS, not knowing Sissoks' heartache, was getting Buddy ready for adoption. They posted his picture on Instagram and within no time Sissoks saw the picture.
"I flipped out. I dropped everything I was doing, there was a lot of traffic, so I didn't drive, I ran, they were literally locking the gate as I ran up," said Sissoks.
"We were looking at each other like who is this person because she came running down the parking lot without a car. We had no idea who she was. It was at least twenty minutes after we closed but as soon as we saw her face and she was crying and showed us pictures of the Publix we quickly realized it was a good thing," said McKelvey
Laura adopted him that night, but there's one more twist to his story. Unknown to Laura, a woman had come in weeks earlier and had paid for Buddy's adoption in memory of her late daughter. That's when Laura realized there was more to Buddy's name
"Ironically, I would just call him Buddy, Buddy here's some food and that's what the daughter called her father so things go full circle. Some things are just the universe making sure it happens," said Sissoks.