Life had always been difficult for Buddy, a slim brown and white mixed-breed dog from North Carolina. Food was always in short supply, and no one cared for him or about him in his 18 months of life. In fact, any attention the pathetic little creature received was negative and abusive. No one, it seemed, had ever shown him love. But, when the chips were down, Buddy knew how to give an extraordinary amount of love and compassion.  On December 15, 1998, Kimberly Cheek was on her way to deliver groceries to a neighbor. All of a sudden, the young woman felt the earth give way beneath her, and she slipped down an abandoned 25-foot well. Kimberly was cold and wet and lonely, but things soon changed. A scrawny dog also slipped into the well, the dog Kimberly named Buddy.  Buddy lived up to his name in every way. He immediately snuggled up to his newly found friend and kept her warm and safe until the rescue team came. The firefighters who eventually rescued Kimberly feel that she might not have survived without the little dog's kindness and compassion. Then Buddy's fortunes began a downward spiral. Despite the compassion displayed by the kind folks at the Guilford County Animal Shelter, Buddy bit four times. Try as they might, shelter officials could not undo the damage done by his hard life on the streets. They would have no choice but to put the little mutt to sleep. Now it was Kimberley's turn to save a life. The rescued became the rescuer, as Kimberly waged a successful campaign to have Buddy live out his days at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. A no-kill shelter, Best Friends was short of space, but animal lovers across the U.S. contributed to a fund to build Buddy a run where he will reside for the rest of his life.  "There is just a groundswell of support for this dog," said Michael Mountain, one of the cofounders of Best Friends. Now the North Shore Animal League America would like the recognize the two animal organizations that were instrumental in redeeming Buddy: the Guilford Animal Shelter and Best Friends. "It is the no-kill ideal exemplified, where the life of the animal is valued even though he is not perfect," states ANIMAL PEOPLE editor and Lewyt Award judge Merritt Clifton. The League agrees, and what better way to reward these two caring shelters than to declare them both winners of the Lewyt Award and present each one with a $500 check and plaque.

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