Today was a big day for big girl Carter.
A very special girl, she joined rescue about three months ago and stole the heart of pretty much every one she met. That being said, she needed a very special home with very special people, and that’s exactly what she got.
Around the first of the year, Anthony and Loni lost their previous Bulldog boy Lil Man, aka Pooter (I’ll let you work out why that was his nickname), at the too young age of 2, to a seizure disorder. Their hearts were broken and it was difficult to think of loving another dog the way they loved Pooter.
Anthony said to Loni that she has so much love in her that it’s only fair for her to have another dog to pour it into, so they hopped on Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue’s website and put in their application.
Once they were matched up with Carter, we set up a meet-and-greet in their home, and it could not have gone better.
You can see Anthony speaking her language in the videos from their meet-and-greet. They just clicked.
After a fabulous time, it was decided that she would be theirs, and them hers, forever. In fact, they already had her name picked out before we even arrived! She will be Lilah Carter.
Anthony and Loni left for a week-long vacation a week after their meeting, so the adoption had to wait for two long weeks. Loni stayed in touch with me every day while they were away and I shared pictures and videos of their girl.
This morning, we packed up and headed out. Lilah was excited to go and when we got to her new home, she walked right in and made herself comfortable.
Anthony and Loni had the cutest “Welcome Home” sign up, her new bed ready to go, a Greenie waiting for her and a couple new toys.
She sniffed out her Greenie right away and enjoyed it in her new bed before she greeted her new mom and dad, who welcomed her with open arms (and LOTS of booty scratches).
When I was getting ready to leave, Anthony ran out to start his car and cool it down so they could all load up and head to the store to get Lilah some new swag. And so Anthony could show her off. This girl is the apple of his eye already.
Lilah is a perfect fit for them. She will be the only dog and I have no doubt will be treated like the queen she is! And they’re a perfect fit for Lilah because they will go to the ends of the earth to make her happy and keep her healthy.
As Loni says, “There will be no more bad days for Lilah.” We couldn’t ask for anything better than that.
Bulldog family, my name is Carter and I am a beautiful, full-figured lady. Thick around the middle, but sweet as sweet tea.
I’ll tell you how I got my name, but first, let me tell you all about me.
I had a family and they thought I needed to have babies. I was not so sure, but I had them anyway. Maybe I wasn’t maternal because all they did was get on my nerves. I really had a hard time understanding I was supposed to lay down so they could have a drink. When they came toward me, I took off running.
When all those baby chores were over, my family decided I needed to hit the road. And that I did. I travel light, so there was nothing for me to pack.
I ended up with a fabulous woman who is a vet tech, and it was love at first sight. She told me from the get-go I was going to rescue after she had me vetted. She knew that Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue was the place for me.
On Friday, I joined rescue and I was named Carter.
Here’s how I got my name: My new rescue friend has friends who honor the memory of their son every year on June 16. They challenge everyone to do a random act of kindness to help celebrate Carter’s life.
My rescue friend does all kinds of things on June 16, all while thinking about Carter throughout the day. And just like it was meant to be, I entered the picture. So, she reached out to Carter’s mom and asked her if it would be OK if she could name a new Bulldog who joined rescue Carter. Mom was thrilled about the request, so here I am, Carter.
And here is a little about the other Carter, who may be gone but never forgotten…..
Carter Mayes was born June 15, 2005 to Todd and Paige. He had an older brother, Cooper, and a younger sister, Maggie. Carter lives in heaven as a result of a car accident when he was 6 years old.
Carter was unique in every way. He never wrote a list of things he wanted for Christmas. Instead, he’d write out a list of his friends and a gift for each of them. He hated playing tag. Instead, he played in the sandbox with his friends so he could laugh and talk without huffing and puffing. He loved baseball and especially loved hitting the ball as far as he could, so he didn’t have to run so fast. He loved the Texas Aggies, Blue Bell ice cream, fishing and hunting, BBQ, beef jerky, his friends and especially his brother and sister.
He loved to read, sing and wear jeans if they weren’t too stiff. He always let his friends go before him and always went last so “no one would feel sad.” He said his prayers every night and loved Jesus more than just about anyone. He slept on the outside of the bed every night so “he could protect Cooper.” He would try to woop anyone that tried to hurt his sister.
Carter loved music. His favorite song was Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg. He carried around a measuring tape and a rope, and he roped everything. He was a loyal friend and a defender of all kinds of things. He was loved by everyone, and we miss him each and every day.
You can live your life like Carter. You can be kind and you can be loyal. You can sing so loud it hurts everyone’s ears. You can give the best hugs and always say your prayers. You can live like Carter.
“Each year, on Carter’s birthday, we celebrate him by doing random acts of kindness. We have always said they do not have to be financial in nature. We just want you to use this day to be kind and think of others first. Carter would have LOVED having a Bulldog named after him! We have had and loved Bulldogs for many years. We had Glitter, Tex and Louie. We adopted Atlas from Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue in 2014. Thank you so much.” ~ Paige, Carter’s mom
7/18/23 Update: Carter continues to do well and has assimilated beautifully with our other three Bulldogs. While she still has some accidents in the house (likely due to her meds), she is a well-behaved Bulldog.
Carter loves to play with the giggle ball and chew on antlers. Also, while she is not one to miss a meal, she lost 5 lbs and the vet said she should lose 10 more to help with breathing and her bad knees.
All in all, she is a sweet Bulldog and will make a family very happy.
8/18/23 Update: Carter is a sweet, happy, silly, playful girl. She took a day or so to warm up to the puppies, but warm up she did. I think she needed to understand that she isn’t expected to care for them and they could just be friends. Now, they wrestle and pal around with each other.
She likes taking a dip in the kiddie pools, chewing on a chew bone, grooming us and the other dogs and breathing in your face. She doesn’t like having her face cleaned, having her eye drops put in or being woken up quickly. She has no problem letting the other dogs know when enough is enough and she’s done with their shenanigans. She responds to verbal corrections immediately.
Carter doesn’t potty in the house or her crate, where she sleeps at night, and she sleeps all through the night. She’s a very good girl who I think will transition into almost any home seamlessly. She’s a big girl, but we’re working on that.
8/31/23 Update: Carter is doing great! She’s just a dream. She has a meet-and-greet with a potential adopter today. Paws crossed!
