Polly

Please wrap your hearts around our dear friends and volunteers, Nancy and Scott. They recently had to say “see you later” to their sweet girl and alumna, Polly.

Nancy shared: Our hearts are broken – our sweet Polly has gone to heaven.

It’s taken me some time to find the words because Polly’s diagnosis of a brain tumor (glioma) and death has been such a shock. It still doesn’t seem real. I keep thinking it’s a bad dream and I’ll wake up and she will be there next to us, but she’s not. She’s truly gone. Her loss is devastating! Our home is so different now. I don’t know how we will go on without her.

You see, Polly was the matriarch of our family pack. She came into our Bulldog rescue in the summer of 2017. She was just bones and nipples, but as sweet as she could be. She was found dumped, tied to a tree in Waxahachie, Texas, lactating with no puppies in sight.

I still remember bringing her home and bathing her the first night. I thought I was bathing a skeleton. It was just

heartbreaking!

But it didn’t take long for her to become the full-figured brindle girl God made her to be… because she loved food. She never missed a meal. She could hear a wrapper a mile away and learned to manipulate commands for treats like no one else. She was good. Polly worked for food 24/7! If Polly ever went missing, you could find her in the kitchen underfoot. You always knew when it was feeding time for Polly too ~ it was the call of the wildebeest! She could rally the pack, break glass and raise the roof in no time. We didn’t need a feeding bell with Polly!

The other thing very special about Polly was her genuine loving motherly, protective demeanor. She nurtured and socialized many dogs who came into our home. I often imagine her with puppies and what a great mother she must’ve been. Polly was a lover, not a fighter, but she could hold her own; all it took was a look and a bark. She loved with all her heart, that’s for sure, and anyone threatening who she loved or her territory – look out! She was defending the perimeter, her people and her pack. She was our little commando girl! Sweet with just the right amount of sass.

Polly loved to be outside and go for walks. In fact, she’d often procrastinate the closer we got to home because she wanted to keep going. She loved to stroll, then stop and smell each rose. She was our “Polly Wolly Doodle All Day Girl!”

In the spring and summer, you could always find her strolling in the garden, eating the blackberries! The colder weather brought out her frisky side or the puppy in her. She would romp and hop along as if invigorated. And if it was rainy, she wouldn’t dare go out without her coat or umbrella, if at all. She was a proper lady in every way.

She loved to go “bye-bye” in the car. That’s when she became our little “Buckaroo Bonsai,” bucking and hopping toward the door. For as big as she was, she could jump with a little lift every now and then and hog the couch, the bed and steal your pillows. She was large and in charge, often stretching herself into you and pushing you off the bed or the couch! Polly loved to sleep, was a licker and a lover. She loved to cuddle and couldn’t get close enough to you.

Polly loved her blankets. We often referred to her as “Polly the Ripper” because she ripped every blanket she ever had, whether it was a $100 one or a $10 one. Understandably, this was probably a behavior carried over from her breeding days, but she definitely had artistic flair! So many blankets in our house have the signature Polly design. I don’t think I can ever let them go.

Our sweet Polly left for heaven on the last day of May. In retrospect, how appropriate… the month of flowers and the month we honor mothers. Polly taught us how to take time and smell each rose. She embodied motherhood teaching us unconditional love, patience and how to stand your ground with both power and grace.

We all mourn her loss, but there’s something deeply moving watching animals grieve. The others in the pack call out for her, barking and waiting for her reply… a reply that never comes. They cry and whine, frantically looking for her everywhere inside the house day and night. They lay by her bed waiting for her to come back. It all happened so fast ~ they never got a chance to say goodbye either. Her last morning, we rushed her out the door to the emergency clinic, never thinking she wouldn’t return. How do we tell them she’s not coming back the same as she left?

And yet animals are wise. The pack knew she was sick and I’m sure in their own way, they know she’s gone on. They are just trying to come to terms with her death, the same as us. Polly was as big as life, so I can’t imagine her spirit doesn’t remain with all of us and perhaps connect with us in some way, continuing to love and nurture. After all, a mother’s love is eternal.

Thank you, sweet girl, for a beautiful life and cherished memories. We love you, Polly. Until we meet again ~ you will always be our Polly Wolly Doodle All Day Girl!

When I first saw Polly the first thing I thought was, Poor , Pitiful Polly, what in the world will rescue do with you?  Obviously not the standard bulldog with the short legs and the fat body; more like the racehorse with the long legs and lean build. Or I guess you could say the look of being starved to death was written all over her face. But Polly deserved medical care, good food and freedom, so Ronnie picked her up, and shook his head and thought the same thing, who will ever want you Polly? And of all the dogs needing a foster Nancy and Scott said “Does Polly need a foster, what does Polly need us to do? I told Nancy Polly needed good food, she needed to gain weight, she had heartworms and she needed treatment and she needed a lot of love. I think Nancy dropped what she was doing and picked up Polly that day. And the rest in history! Today it became official, Polly has a forever family, a bulldog sister and a American bulldog brother and Polly loves them all.  In the near future their will be a Christmas card with the entire family and Polly will be sitting beautifully right in the center feeling the love she always knew existed, but was for someone else, not her. That is until Polly met Nancy and Scott: her Christmas miracle!

I’m just a little confused… Some people say I am an English Bulldog, some say I’m an Olde English Bulldog, but some say I am an American Bulldog, and some people say I am both.

What I know is that I when I showed up at a local shelter, Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue agreed to take me in, and they stood by that commitment. Yesterday, a nice man picked me up and took me to a vet’s office where the staff members all loved on me and made me feel beautiful. They said I can have all the spa days I want.

Additional Photos

• Share
• 
• 
•