I am on the board of trustees of Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, NJ and Nicole has assisted us so many times when a newly adopted or fostered dog has gotten lost. She is absolutely compassionate and devoted to aiding families and shelters/rescues in finding these lost animals. She has such an understanding of animal behavior and a generosity of spirit. There is a page on her site with helpful hints and ways to make sure you do everything correctly. Her warm spirit and humanity, along with her fervent desire to reunite the dog with their loving family, continues to be inspirational to everyone. I am on most of the rescue Facebook pages and every time someone posts that their dog has gone missing, the suggestions are always to be in touch with Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery!
We adopted a dog the day before Thanksgiving and two days later he wedged his way through our fence slats. We spent 10 hours that day and 16 hours the next day searching the woods where the police spotted him. Finally our vet recommended calling Nicole of Buddha Dog Rescue. As working with the local SPCA was not proving fruitful, Nicole arranged for us to get a different cage and camera from Sadie's Lost Dog Search and Rescue. Nicole and Melissa from Sadie's gave us very specific directions, including telling others who were interjecting themselves into the search process to go away. Within six hours, we had our dog back! Nicole stayed in contact with us constantly and is remarkably knowledgeable about how to find and rescue a lost dog. She is a blessing to us! Thank you so much, Nicole.
How do you thank someone for saving a life that means everything to you. Nicole at Buddha Dog Rescue is a Godsend and I will forever hold a special place in my heart for her and all she did to reunite me with my service dog, Ellie. Thank you Nicole, our whole family loves you so very much!
I know Nicole is always so busy so I was so thrilled when she was able to take our case. Sadie had already been out several days and I felt like it was a lost cause but the moment BDRR got involved a sense of calm came over me. Every step she took was methodical and planned out. Without Nicole I don't Sadie would have ever been caught. I am eternally grateful for her dedication, knowledge and perseverance.
Nicole is my st. Anthony for retrieving and trapping Bryson my scared puppy for me!!! He was lost and she got to me rite away and I have never met someone so inspiring and good with animals and wildlife in general. She is so great to bring home my baby in 48 hrs!!! Only 48 hrs I repeat!
Nicole is literally the best trapper in the country. Every experience I have had with her has been a positive one and she has always been there to help in any and every way. We joke about how she’s my Hero, but I mean those words when I say them.
Nicole is very skillful and Knowledgeable in her field. She’s caring and compassionate about each and every lost animal she works on.
Thank you for your dedication and commitment to all the families and their babies you have brought home!!
When our dog Beau was missing our family was broken. We searched for weeks with no luck. A friend suggested we reach out to Nicole at Buddha Rescue. I learned that all the things we were doing were working against us. Nicole got to work and within a couple days of her being on the case, we got our first sighting. Nicole worked tirelessly and was successful in capturing our big guy. Thank you for your dedication, knowledge and huge heart. Our family can't thank you enough.
I was very impressed with this service. I had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful group in action, catching a dog that had ventured near our home. Our whole family was so happy to hear that the dog had been caught and reunited with it's family. Our daughter now says she wants to be a rescuer just like Nicole. Keep up the good work!
Buddha Dog Rescue is a phenomenal organization. I am so thankful for Nicole's knowledge and expertise. I met Nicole eight years ago when she came to New Jersey for the rescue of "Dancing Lady". Without Nicole, Lady never would have been brought to safety. I have watched Nicole and followed her rescue ever since and am always in awe. Than k you for all that you do for the lost animals.
I'm one of the admins of Bergen County NJ Lost and Found Pets. We recommend Nicole's expertise to everyone we come across with a lost dog. We share her lost pet portal along with quick action plan. This information alone has helped reunite so many. This isn't including the hundreds of dogs she has trapped and reunited with their owners over the years. She is the lost dog whisperer. Truly one of a kind, heart of gold. Will spend countless nights up all night while trapping. We are always relieved when Nicole is working on a case. If my dog was lost there's noone else I'd want assisting me. In my opinion she is the best trapper in the US. She should have her own show and book. She's that good. Follow her on Facebook her track record speaks for itself! Nicole's #1 fan ❤
I run a small rescue. Unfortunately, newly adopted dogs run away.
Nicole has been an amazing gift to many lost dogs. She has a gift that can not be bought or stolen. No one knows dog behavior better than she does. There are no words to describe my gratitude or for how much in awe I am of her. Despite anything thrown her way she rises to the challenge and gets it done. I will forever be in debt to her. Nicole is a ROCK STAR. This is Lola. She was on the run for 14 days. From day one people continued sabotaging every effort we did. From chasing the to searching in the woods and even messing with the traps that were set. Nicole was determined and caught my girl anyway. That is what a hero does...
From the moment I spoke with Nicole, she put me at ease. The terror I felt when our dog went missing was indescribable. Not only did she drive over an hour on short notice, she stayed until our Luna was captured and safe. This was one of the worst weeks of my life and I can't thank Nicole at Buddha Dog rescue enough for making our family whole again. There are no words that are adequate to express how grateful we are. Thank you!
Several weeks ago, my family was adopted by our girl Lue. A beautiful Beagle mix with a shy and gentle demeanor. From the moment we met her, we knew that we were destined to be her people!
The day we brought her home, we got out of the car, and she bolted. FOR 6 DAYS!! Yes, I removed her leash-never thinking for a moment that she would quietly creep and scale the nearly 4ft high fence in the back yard. We hadn’t even closed the car doors yet.
My family immediately sprung into action. We posted signs around the neighborhood, posted on FB and a local community platform. We also were advised, to submit an application to Buddah Dog Rescue & Recovery. (please review Buddha’s website as much of what we did is counterintuitive to the safe return of your newly adopted dog).
I cannot fully articulate the level of exhaustion and concern for Lue’s safety that hung over our home that week. But what I can articulate is that without Buddah Dog Rescue & Recovery, and more to the point, the care, respect and gift that is Nicole, Lue and her adopted family would likely not have had the reunion that was prayed for. The fact is, Nicole is a Rock Star …Enough said!
With much gratitude,
Lue and her People
I work in a dog rescue in NY and Nicole is a solid 2hrs away from me on a good day. By faith, someone suggested I reach out to her to help me catch a fearful mama-dog living under train-tracks. Nicole was VERY busy and had a hard time figuring out how she can help because she was so far from me and even further from where the dog was. Needless to say - I dont know how this woman found an 8th day of the week and a 25th hour of the day, but she made it happen. She was at the location before I was ! the type of mind-boggling technology she has in order to help trap this dog was incredible to observe AND she kept tabs on all other cameras of the other dogs shes trapping while working with me. She was prepared to get the job done and "failing" was not in her lexicon. Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant woman, with a ton of drive, experience and the power of will to bring these animals to safety. [Without any defamatory statements, 2 "very big" local trappers made a joke of themselves in this exact rescue before Nicole stepped in]. I am in awe of her capabilities skills and willingness to get the project done no matter the stakes, time or funding needed. Bravo.
Nicole is an incredible person. A few years ago I was working with a rescue when my foster dog, Duke, ran away (I know, I know!) After being gone a few days we hired a tracking company to come out and try and assist with figuring out where Duke was. We paid him to come for X amount of time. Long story short, he was terrible. It was getting close to about 3 weeks of Duke being lost when we heard about BDRR. We were desperate and reached out. Over the phone we talked about some things to help pull him to where we want him and not only did Nicole drive quite a distance to come and help, she had him home the same day. THE SAME DAY! She then stayed with us for a while after we brought him home to help with the transition. We owe her everything for having Duke home and working with someone who cares as much as we did to get him there was everything. I can’t recommend BDRR enough!
Nicole, you’ve taught me so much, just so we can help others. You’ve driven 6 hrs round trip no less to save ♥️River♥️you are the most compassionate, professional and the very best at what you do and your heart is always in the right place. (To the benefit of the animals you save♥️and the families you keep calm and reassure-a big part of the puzzle) We’re very thankful for all of your advice in the best interest of the animals always. Cannot say enough. We love you♥️♥️♥️ Stay safe!!!
My dog Phoebe went for a fun hike in the deleware watergap with a friend and went missing. She was lost 6 miles into the woods during bear season. We started hiking that night as soon as I could get to the trail and saw no sign of her. The next day I got into contact with Nicole and she got a plan together. She stayed with my for pretty much 24 hours a day for the next 4 days and nights. She pulled out all her tricks and talked me throught many tears. Not only did Nicole save my dogs life and get her home. She saved my life too. I don't know how I would have continued without finding her. Thank you Nicole for being a hero to the lost dogs and their families.
Nicole is amazing! After 2 or more years living in the wooded area behind a development of homes, Huckleberry was scared and only came out in the very eating morning hours. He was too afraid to let anyone get close.
We called Nicole and she immediately came to help! She set up a trap, cameras and a food station and waited patiently for him to show himself. Within 2 days he was safe in her care. To say Nicole is willing to go the extra mile and truly cares about what she does would be an understatement. We are so grateful for her!
I had the wonderful pleasure under crazy circumstances of meeting Nicole when she went out of her way and far from the area she services to help capture a poor mama dog that had been out in the cold for days, after being hit by an ambulance, cuts and bleeding from thorns in the woods with no chance of being captured but thanks to Nicole that happened and she was safe! She didn’t give up and clearly gives her heart and soul in doing this when others had failed. Thank you Nicole with Budha Rescue for all you do and the passion and dedication you have for helping these babies in need!!❤️
I have followed and supported Nicole of BDRR for quite a few years. She tirelessly works to reunite lost dogs, and sometimes goats, with their families. Nicole understands capturing scared animals like no one I have ever known.
Nicole is a one of a kind amazing human being that dedicates her life to helping find lost animals. She has volunteered hours of time helping our recuse group track dogs that have gotten away from their owners. I even spent a few days assisting her with a goat that had ran away from an auction house and spent months living on the side of a highway. Her ability to sense where to hang flyers and set up feeding stations is amazing. So many animals would still be lost or dead if Nicole didn’t volunteer her time and services to helping them. Thank you Buddha Dog for all you do.
Nicole at BDRR is simply amazing. She is beyond passionate and dedicated to her skill and has reunited countless dogs with their owners. Her heart is made of gold and will always be a hero to so many lost dogs who may have never been found.
Nicole is so wonderful that I would give her 100 stars if I could !! Very dedicated, professional, basically she knows what she is doing and exactly what to do!!! I have been in rescue 35 + years and I kept seeing this dog in my yard for a few nights caught on my camera but I could not catch him myself. I never worked with a professional trapper before and I listened to everything she told me to do and set up a feeding station for this poor thing that had been missing a couple weeks in the freezing cold. Unfortunately the day Nicole was on her way to me to set the trap the dog's owner saw the dog and chased her on the tracks out into the highway and lost him once again in the freezing cold. Then like a true miracle 2 weeks later we had one sighting a few blocks from me and on the side of the highway and within an hour another feeding station was set up..Nicole called me ( the next day ) which was Christmas morning and because of where the dog was hanging out next to a highway she wanted to set the trap right away... Best Christmas I ever had !!!!! This pup was caught within 5 minutes of setting it up !! I call it a Christmas miracle that I was blessed to be a part of because of Nicole inviting me to tag along with her ......
Nicole is the ultimate pro. She worked on locating a stray for12 days through 7 towns. She was able to capture him when he ran into a fenced in sewage plant. If you lose your dog you want this woman on your side. She will catch it. ❤️
If there was ever an angel on earth, it's Nicole of Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery. We dealt with a very difficult and complicated situation where one of two bonded dogs, just into the Westchester airport from Puerto Rico and on their way to rescue, ran on the runway when someone from the transport company dropped a leash. We were desperate (and politics with the rescue involved made things far more complicated than they needed to be as well, which Nicole negotiated and navigated through beautifully), but of course we could not give up until that poor sweet girl was recovered. It was the dead of winter, well below freezing, and there are coyotes on that airfield as well. This poor dog was scared and a runner, and we could not catch her. After one frigid cold night out on that runway, Nicole dropped everything to get out to the airport - thank God for her - and was able to finally lure her into the trap to be with her brother.
Always communicative, always committed and truly concerned for the animals. She has a heart of gold and I'm honored to know her and work with her. And having her contact handy helps me to rest easily - hopefully we don't need it again!! But I know that if we do, she will be able to help.
Thank you Nicole for what you do, and how you do it.
Nicole helped us find a dog who escaped from rescue and was running for over a month. She worked tirelessly and got this girl back to us safely- this is AMAZING!
My family and I are beyond grateful for Nicole and her expertise. She spent endless hours working to recover Piper. She is compassionate and devoted to her craft. Her approach to finding lost dogs is genius. Thanks to Buddha Dog Rescue Piper is home.
Harper jumped out of our car while we we far from home. I thought I was never going to see our girl again but Nicole from Buddha Dog Rescue works miracles. Harper was missing for almost a week and ran close to ten miles. Nicole worked tirelessly to bring her home, even in a snowstorm. Thank you is just not enough, you made our family whole again.
Nicole at Buddha Dog Rescue is amazing! So many people suggested we reach out to her on facebook. She was quick to respond to our request and go over everything with us, within one phone call we had a plan and felt hope again. Within a few hours of doing things she had suggested we got our first sighting. Within two days she trapped Kaia and brought our girl home to us! We never would have gotten her home without Buddha Dog Rescue and we will be forever grateful. Best of the best!!!!!!!!!!
My wife and I left our 2 dogs at the pet camp in Middletown, NY while we went on vacation. After one night they escaped the pet camp and were lost in the seemingly endless woods. We desperately left our vacation and went looking for them but had no luck. Many people reached out to us and suggested we call Nicole from Buddha Dog Rescue. As soon as we received word that the dogs were sighted, Nicole arrived in Middletown. We truly never thought we would see our dogs again and were devastated. We had so many obstacles to overcome. But Nicole assured us that we would get them. She gave us hope. Since the dogs were in flight mode she knew that they would need to be trapped. Nicole arrived on a Saturday. By Monday morning we had one of our dogs trapped and safe, and by the following Friday we got the other dog! It’s impossible to describe in words how amazing of a person Nicole is. Not only did she get us both of our dogs back within 6 days of her arrival, but she showed us just how kind human beings can be. She worked tirelessly and arrived before dawn to set up traps even though she lived almost 2 hours away. She cares as if the dogs are her own. She is a kind, selfless and gentle soul. We call her an angel because without her, we would’ve never gotten our beloved dogs back. Not only is she an incredible person, but she is an expert at her craft! She saved our family and we are eternally grateful! Thank you forever Nicole and Buddha Dog Rescue!!!
Nothing can make you feel more helpless then having your newly adopted dog escape your home. Momo came to us from Thailand and after having him for about an hour, a door wasn't shut quickly enough and Momo made a break for it. We searched, we postered and although we were getting sightings, there was no way that we would be able to get this dog back on our own. He was terrified and NOTHING around him was familiar. After a week of searching and fearing the worst, we were connected to Nicole and Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery. Nicole is boots on the ground!! She came up and surveyed the areas that he was sighted and came up with her plan which included remote camera feeding stations and a trap. She spent an entire night in her car manning the trap area (in case the wrong critter tripped it up). Her confidence and communication gave us hope in what we thought was a hopeless situation! With imminent bad weather and with the reminder that the sightings constantly had put this guy crossing busy dangerous roads, Nicole got aggressive with her plan. Multiple feeding stations were set up and the trap was set farther away from foot traffic. We even put yellow caution tape to let people know to STAY AWAY from the area knowing that he wouldn't show if people were out and about. 12 days in and 2 days after Thanksgiving, Momo stepped into the trap and we couldn't be more thankful!! Nicole is magic!! Without her, we know undoubtedly that we would not have gotten our happy ending!! Momo is the sweetest dog that has given us unlimited joy.... all possible because of Nicole and Buddha Dog Rescue's efforts!!! Forever grateful!!!!
First off, I wish I could give more than 5 stars to this amazing person.
When we rescued our dog, my daughter and I could not be happier. We rescued a dog from Louisiana and he was the sweetest dog we had ever met and he was so happy. We quickly fell in love; however, he was terrified of his own shadow and we needed to carry him if it was windy because the sound of the leaves rustling scared him.
Three weeks later, on July 3rd, we were walking Mason around our complex where there was new construction and my daughter fell. Mason was on a retractable leash and the sound of my daughter falling scared Mason. Before I knew it, Mason was running full force and the leash pulled out of my hands once the rope fully extended. Once the base to the retractable leash hit the ground, Mason ran so fast because he thought someone was chasing him – and he just kept going. That’s when my heart stopped and my daughter hated herself, no matter how much I told her it was going to be okay and it wasn’t her fault.
I had posted on Facebook for everyone to keep an eye out for my fur baby and there were so many people that came out to help us search, but Mason was nowhere to be found. I received a few comments stating I should contact Buddha Dog Rescue and Recovery because she was the best. After a few days and no Mason sightings, I decided to message them to see if they could help – I was desperate. After only seven minutes, Nicole called me and we went over what happened. Without hesitation, she said, “I’ll be out first thing in the morning.” She met me the next day and we went out to see the area in which he ran off into.
With every single sighting or lead, Nicole picked up my call every single time regardless of the time. There was one night were the Picatinny police showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night. I called Nicole and she answered on the first ring so excited to see I had a lead. Within half an hour, she was at Picatinny setting up traps.
Nicole never once lost her hope in finding Mason, never gave up even when I thought there was no hope. There were a few times that I was exhausted and wanted to give up, but Nicole kept me going. She would pick me up and we would go out hanging posters with every single sighting to get more people aware of Mason in the area. We would go out for hours with binoculars with night vision when we got a night sighting. There was not one time that she let us down.
After about 85 days, we got great leads where Mason was on camera. Nicole dropped everything to make sure she was there for Mason. We would setup traps where he was spotted, but he didn’t come back. She never gave up, and on the 90th day, Mason went in the trap.
Nicole has a gift that I can’t explain. She is an angel on Earth and there is a special place in heaven for people like her. I know that sounds corny, but I’ve never met anyone that is so giving and kind in my entire life. I didn’t know there were people like her. People that would do anything in their power to help a family she had never met, and a dog that was trying to desperately get back home, but couldn’t find his way.
I am forever indebted to Nicole and her fiancé, for always being such genuinely caring people and kindhearted. Thank you so very, very much for making such a horrible time in our lives more bearable with the outcome that ended so wonderfully.
Much Love,
Christina and Eliana