By Eleanor Wilson
Four to five days a week, Marty Johnson walks his Greyhound Buster up to the Hampton Park shops and ties him up outside while he does his shopping.
“Most of the regulars know us there, or see us walking in the area,” Marty said.
But the pair have been noticeably absent from their neighbourhood walks recently, after Buster was attacked at a Parkdale Dog Beach in April.
It was Marty and Buster’s first ever visit to a dog beach, a positive experience until a Bull Terrier cross rushed at Buster as they were preparing to head home.
The dog latched onto Buster’s legs and began to bite his stomach, leaving the rescue dog with a slash which required surgery and stitching.
While the dog’s owner was initially remorseful, exchanging contact details and assuring Marty he would meet him at the vet to pay for Buster’s vet costs, he was uncontactable once Marty arrived at the vet.
This left Marty with no choice but to foot the $4000 bill – an “impossible” feat for the disability pensioner.
“I had about $200 in my account and there was no way I was going to be able to pay the bills, I couldn’t afford 10 per cent of that amount,” he said.
Despite never asking for money before, Marty took to Facebook to pledge for assistance.
Shortly thereafter, friend Anne Marie saw his call out and decided to create a GoFundMe for Buster, which is when Marty said the support “exploded”.
“I’ve just been overwhelmed with the support, and people sending money and then apologising for not sending enough! Whether it’s five or $50 it really doesn’t matter, I’m so grateful.”
Of the 80-odd donations Marty has received, he estimates about one third are from people he has never met, many of which from the Hampton Park community, after posting about the predicament in a local Facebook group.
“It was just quite amazing how both my friends and the community came together just to help me
“It’s gone from being such a distressing thing to something really lovely.”
Thanks to the donations, which currently amount to over $3300 of a $4000 goal, Marty has been able to pay for almost all of Buster’s vet bills.
Marty said he was incredibly relieved to see his beloved best mate “a lot happier in himself”.
“He’s the most placid dog you’d ever meet – I don’t know what I’d without him.”
Buster came into Marty’s life in 2017, shortly after he was involved in serious car accident which left him with a smashed shoulder and two spine fractures.
Buster’s own future was also hanging in the balance at the time, with plans for the racing trained Greyhound to be euthanised due to a broken back leg, before he was adopted by Marty.
Yet, Marty credits Buster with saving his life.
“The PTSD and depression and anxiety from the accident runs pretty deep,” he said.
“But when I got him, I couldn’t worry about just myself anymore – I had to get up and walk him and feed him and having that responsibility really helped me get through that tough stage.
“He goes almost everywhere with me…I’ll have days where I come home and feel like absolute rubbish, I’ll be in pain and I get to the front door and see Buster and you can’t be grumpy anymore.”
Buster had his stitches removed last week and has just one vet appointment left, after which it will be back to their daily walks to the Hampton Park shops.
To donate to Marty and Buster’s GoFundMe, head to bit.ly/3APFXvY
