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LIC Residents Raise Funds to Help Stray Dog Found on Vernon Boulevard

By Jeanmarie Evelly | October 23, 2015 3:40pm | Updated on October 26, 2015 8:30am
 Neighbors have raised more than $700 to cover vet bills for the found dog.
Buddy the Dog
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HUNTERS POINT — Local dog lovers rallied to help a pup found wandering the streets of Long Island City last week — raising more than $700 for his veterinary care.

The pooch — a Collie mix that neighbors have nicknamed Buddy — was first spotted running frantically in circles near Vernon Boulevard and 47th Avenue Sunday morning, according to witness Lynda Rees.

"He was running for hours around this one block," said Rees, who lives nearby and was heading home after grabbing breakfast when she first saw the dog. "He was just terrified."

Residents who spotted the stray started posting updates on a Facebook page for local dog owners called DOG LIC, with several trying to capture the pup. One man was eventually able to catch Buddy after a chase that lasted hours, Rees said.

Reese has since been fostering the dog — whom she described as laid back and "very loving" — as well as putting up fliers in hopes of finding his owner, though no one has yet come forward.

She also started an online fundraising page to help cover some of the costs of Buddy's $1,200 vet bill. He has a mass on one of his back legs that needs to be removed and also needs dental work, Rees said.

The page surpassed its $700 fundraising goal in just hours, according to Rees, who called the local support "amazing."

"[I got] so many nice messages from people," she said.

Buddy has also become somewhat of a local celebrity in Hunters Point, recognized by neighbors who'd followed his plight on the DOG LIC Facebook page.

"Even yesterday when I was walking up to the vet, I had a few people stop and say, 'Is that Buddy?'" Rees said. "He has a little following."

Though she can't keep Buddy permanently — Rees already has another dog of her own — she says she's already gotten requests from people interested in adopting him.

"He's just such a sweet dog," she said. "He'd be an awesome dog for someone."