Buddy the golden retriever used to be quite the troublemaker.
He was thrown out of not one but two behaviour schools and destroyed a whopping £8,000-worth of his owner’s possessions.
But that all changed when he met Boss the French bulldog puppy.
Tracy Montgomery got Buddy when he was seven months old but described him as ‘out of control’.
The 52-year-old said that he chewed through things like an iPad, flooring throughout her home and roughly 15 TV remotes – to the point where she started buying them in bulk.
Tracy, a mum-of-three, tried everything to try and get Buddy to chill out, including taking him for training at two puppy schools, which he was expelled from for being disruptive.
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But after a dog sitter suggested that social worker Tracy might just need to get Buddy a little friend, the gran-of-four took the pooch to meet a litter of French bulldog puppies.
That’s where Buddy met Boss, and it was ‘love at first sight’.
Tracy, of Pakenham, Victoria, Australia, said: ‘He was uncontrollable, naughty, and it was like he was on a mission to destroy as much as he could.
‘He would walk into a room, look and go “what can I destroy?” and that’s what he would head for.
‘I got Boss in desperation and everyone told me not to do it but I had to do something.
‘Buddy has turned his life around, at the final hour.
‘Getting Boss was absolutely the last chance for him. It was that, or he’d have to go because it was that expensive and uncomfortable, we were uncomfortable in our own house because our dog was just unbearable.’
Tracy had been on the waiting list for a puppy before she got Buddy, but was caring for her mother at the time one became available, so she couldn’t accept the dog.
But she later received a call from the breeder saying that the owner of the puppy she was meant to receive, Buddy, could no longer fare for him, so asked again if she’d like to have him.
Tracy said: ‘I thought it sounded like it was meant to be so I went to get him and he was jumping on their car bonnet and was playful, not aggressive – just obviously totally out of control.
‘And I thought “I can fix him”… little did I know.
‘On the first night, he chewed up the TV remote and my husband said “oh well, this isn’t a good start”.
‘I could be sitting at the table and walk across to get my cup of coffee, walk back and the TV remote’s gone, he’s that quick.
‘The grandkids would come over and leave their shoes and within three seconds they’re gone.’
Buddy also ate his way through the electrical plug of the family trailer, the lead for the BBQ’s gas bottle, their outdoor furniture, a seemingly endless amount of toilet paper, brooms and textbooks.
Tracy said: ‘You get home and just go “oh my God”.
‘He just chewed holes in the floors and tore it up in enough places that the whole floor has got to be replaced, which will be about $10,000 [£5,505].
‘I’m hoping insurance will cover it but I don’t know if it covers naughty dogs.
‘He went through about 15 TV remotes. I was buying them in bulk from Amazon.
‘He’d eaten three in one day and mind you I was putting them up on the mantelpiece and the fridge. He’d jump on a stepladder and knock it off the fridge to get it – there was nothing I could do to keep them safe.
‘Once he chewed my glasses I couldn’t see for two weeks while waiting to get new ones – that was probably the worst I thing, because I couldn’t drive or anything.
‘Every single thing you can imagine was chewed and destroyed, and then he’d come and sit on your knee and look at you like “I love you so much mummy” and you’re like “oh my God, how can I love you when you keep doing this to me?”
‘It caused issues between me and my husband too because he was like “you’ve got to get rid of this dog”‘ and I said “I can’t get rid of this dog, I’ve got to fix him”.’
Tracy tried everything from tiring Buddy out with exercise and playing with him to checking his diet and puppy training school – but nothing stuck.
Tracy said: ‘He got thrown out of two puppy schools.
‘The first one was because he slipped out of his collar somehow and knocked over their big display of dog food and collars.
‘And no one could catch him, and then he knocked all the other little dogs who were sitting there nicely off their boxes, and they were all running around – it’s just like a scene out of Marley and Me.’
When Tracy went on holiday to Thailand, she was thankfully able to find a pet sitter who’d take Buddy on.
While she was away, she got messages from him saying how much her 20-month-old retriever loved small dogs, and that she had to get one.
Some of the things Buddy chewed through:
Flooring: $10,000 (£5,505)
Outdoor furniture: $3,000 (£1,651)
iPad: $800 (£440)
Glasses: $800 (£440)
Tracy said: ‘So the day we got back from Thailand we picked Buddy up and went straight to look at Boss, and it was love at first sight.
‘We went in and there were about nine puppies running around and this little one, Boss, just came straight up to Buddy, and they were just like instantly in love.
‘There’s not been an issue between them. They’re like best mates. I had three boys and it’s like watching two boys roll around and wrestle but then be best friends again.
‘Boss is definitely what his name is – he’s the boss and bosses Buddy around.
‘He’s calmer because golden retrievers are so big and boisterous, whereas French bulldogs are smaller and a bit easier to manage, he just seems to have taken control of him and it’s working really well.
‘He’s very happy and harmonious now. He hasn’t turned into a perfect dog – he’s still very active and has to settle down, but he’s not destructive anymore – he’s showing his loving side.
‘For someone who’s going through something similar, I’d recommend getting a little friend because it’s like an only child – some kids are OK being alone and others need that connection and someone else around.
‘And Buddy was one of those that did need someone else around.
‘I’m glad he’s turned a corner and that now I can enjoy him. I love him. I love them both.’
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