By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

A dog running free and uncared for in Florence drew the attention of Natasha Craig three months ago. She is an animal lover and cannot stand to see a dog suffer.

She said the dog was almost skin and bones and had lost much of his hair.

“He was getting skinnier and skinnier,” she said. “Nobody was taking care of him.”

She learned that his owner had died more than two years ago.

Craig put out a blanket, water, and feed for him on the back porch, hoping to keep him from starving to death.

He eventually found the food but would nibble at it and then run away.

In time, he became friendly with the Craig family. He came and went as he pleased, but they finally earned his trust and named him Buddy.

“We took him in because of his age and condition,” Craig said. “He would not have survived three days at a humane society.”

The family’s other two dogs are allowed in the house, but they can’t let Buddy in because he messes floors.

She is hoping to find a home for him, perhaps somebody who could provide a kennel for him inside.

“We are hoping someone will open their door and take care of him and love him until he passes,” she said.

Craig figured out that he had lived on table scraps because that’s what he likes the most.

Her 13-year-old daughter, Cadence, and Buddy have become best friends. He stays with her everywhere she goes.

It was still cold when they took him in, and Craig put out a heating pad and kept him covered at night, sometimes getting up to re-cover him when he crept out of his blanket.

Craig sought medical help for him, first by calling Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton, and then contacting veterinarians. A local veterinarian finally agreed to treat him at no cost.

Craig found out that Buddy’s previous owner had taken good care of him and had provided medical care. Buddy was 18 years old.

The veterinarian gave Buddy a basic checkup, shots, and dewormer and trimmed his toenails, which were long and were curling into the pads on his feet.

Buddy looks a lot healthier these days. He has filled out some and his fur has grown back.

This isn’t the first time Craig has rescued an animal. In 2014, she took in a dog with a litter of puppies and found homes for them.

The family has a horse, three cats, two dogs, as well as chickens and ducks.

“We take care of our animals,” Craig said.