BUDDY OM: THERAPY DOG/YOGI Buddy Om wasn’t always the calming presence he is today. Six years ago, he had been picked up as a stray and ended up at Monterey County Animal Services. Gina Puccinelli was searching for a dog to be a companion to her dog, Bella, when she spotted him. He was a young Terrier/Chihuahua mix. He was in the back of his kennel, huddled in a corner, shaking, shivering with fear. Gina walked around to the other side of the kennels where it was quieter. She knelt down to his level and he approached her, head down, cautious. She took him out of the kennel, and he perked up. She introduced him to Bella, her Cocker Spaniel, and they connected immediately. The shelter staff was amazed at how he was coming out of his shell. They said he generally didn’t come out to meet people. Gina knew he 36 | coastalcaninemag.com | Spring 2016
was the one. She signed the adoption papers and took him home. She named him Buddy Om. Not too long after adopting Buddy Om, Gina and her partner split up. Her partner kept custody of Bella and Gina kept Buddy Om. Once the dogs were separated, Buddy Om came into his personality even more. Bella had always been dominant over him so he shrunk into the background. Without Bella around, Buddy Om blossomed into a social