It was a bittersweet Saturday as we delivered Monty to his new family.
He came to us the night of Bull-O-Ween, after a neighbor found him dumped in her yard. He was emaciated at 30 pounds and suffering from raging urine and skin infections. His belly was full of parasites and inedible chunks of trash. He was sweet, but shy.
Once he was treated medically and eating regular meals, his personality bloomed ~ silly and stubborn. We learned he is a toy hoarder, snuggle master and constant shadow. He wants to be with his humans 24/7. He has a gentle old soul.
At his meet and greet, when he and the resident older Pug became fast friends, I knew it was meant to be.
I truly love the work we do. If you’ve never volunteered or have applied to adopt and get frustrated with the process, please consider all the work that goes into this. The people behind the scenes spend their limited free time/resources tirelessly doing home visits, reading applications, vet checks, organizing fundraising events, transporting, caring, behavior training, laundry (so, so much laundry!) and so much more.
We mean it when we say “forever” family.
My heart beats with joy knowing Monty found his.
His new family say that he’s settling in great. They even woke up to find him snuggled up with their senior Pug, Gus.
On the night of Bull-O-Ween, a neighbor a few blocks over posted on Facebook that she found a very sick Bulldog in her yard. We called her and it sounded like he was in distress, so we went to pick him up. I couldn’t leave him on death’s doorstep.
He was severely dehydrated, covered in fleas and his poop was FULL of parasites. He was dirty, emaciated and intact.
I gave him subcutaneous fluids, and a Nexgard, and then I took him to work on Monday. No chip.
Dr. Barton examined him and we ran labs. He’s very anemic, has a terrible UTI, every intestinal parasite you can imagine, ear mites and yeast. Surprisingly, he’s heartworm negative!
Poor guy weighs about 30 lbs., but he should be around 45-50ish. Dr. Barton thinks he’s about 3.5 years old. He has some callouses on his hocks/elbows from laying in a crate or on concrete long-term.
I got him on meds for his gut/UTI, dewormers and started him on heartworm prevention.
He needs to be neutered and we want to get his gut and liver/kidney values closer to normal before vaccinating. He has an interdigital cyst on both front paws (currently soaking) and a small cystic growth on his left shoulder that needs to be removed. His skin folds are cleaning up well ~ no infection or irritation.
He’s pooping out chunks of plastic, bones even a long-knotted plastic bag. Thankfully, he’s starting to feel much better and I can stop crying.
The neighbor who found him posted on every lost dog page and we have signs all over the neighborhood. No calls so far. I have to think he got dumped.
He is incredibly sweet and doesn’t understand toys. He’s not fearful of men, and very submissive of the other dogs. He doesn’t know many commands. We’ve kept him on a schedule and he hasn’t had any accidents in his kennel.
I can’t believe how sweet and gentle this guy is. He just wants to be in your lap, getting pets. He wants to be close and loved on. He also thinks meal times are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him. Who can blame him?
10/31/23 Update: Monty had his first visit with Dr. Larsen this week. He got all of his vaccines, and we scheduled an appointment for him to be neutered and have a small cyst removed from his back. He’s doing well and has already put on a good bit of weight. He probably needs to add another 5 lbs. or so to get to where he should be.
Monty was extremely good the whole trip and during his exam. He loves riding in cars and is completely comfortable wearing a harness and being handled.
At home, his personality is starting to come out more. He loves plush toys and especially playing tug-of-war. He’s extremely gentle with all of the other dogs and every human he comes in contact with. He just wants snacks and love. He seems like he would be an ideal family dog, and would do well in a house with or without other pets.
Honestly, it’s hard to understand why someone would dump a Bulldog as sweet and well-adjusted as Monty is. He is a joy to have around, and we look forward to finding the perfect forever family that will give him all of the love and treats he deserves.
11/13/23 Update: Monty’s personality has really started to shine these past couple of weeks. He absolutely adores chew toys, especially his Kong football. He carries it with him everywhere, even keeping it in his mouth when he goes potty outside.
We think he’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan, like his foster dad, because the ball is red. So, his future forever family will have to deal with his love of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
As much as he loves his toys, he never shows any aggression if you try to take one from him. He just thinks you want to play tug, which is another game he loves. Monty’s personality is just a joy. He’s nothing but sweet and good-natured about everything.
We’re still getting potty training down, but the issue is mainly marking due to the fact that he was still intact. This should alleviate itself following his appointment with Dr. Larsen last week to get a few things snipped. He’ll be on crate rest while he recovers and chews his football, then he’ll be ready to find his next family!
11/24/23 Update: Monty’s personality just keeps coming out. He went through his neuter with flying colors and was wagging his nub of a tail and chewing on toys by the next day. This guy seriously only has one mood: Happy!
We’ve discovered that Monty is a bit of a toy hoarder. He’s sort of like a ninja. One minute you’ll be sitting in a room, and you’ll suddenly see a shadow out of the corner of your eye. Was it the wind? A mouse? No, that’s just Monty swiping yet another toy to bring back to his growing collection on the living room couch. The other bulldogs in the house have yet to get wise about his toy theft, mainly because they can’t jump on the couch like he can!Monty is also excellent on walks. He’s still getting the routine down, but he’ll happily sit while you put his harness on, and walk at whatever pace you go. He never pulls on his leash, and he’s completely unfazed by other dogs or loud noises. As long as Monty is with his people, he’s happy and content. We can’t wait to find him his forever people soon!
