These are some of my favorite stories.
A prior adoptive family had lost their sweet girl, Dixie. It broke their hearts, but they soon realized that they could help another sweet dog find a furever home.
Enter Raylan Givens.
He is just a little pipsqueak of a boy, but has a larger-than-life personality. He LOVES people, but he’s not sure about dogs. On some days, he loves to play and some days, well, no so much. And he always wants all the attention.
Amy and Gene came for a meet-and-greet and Raylan Givens was ready! He ran over to them, put his paws on both of their knees and grabbed their hearts in the process.
Amy knew she couldn’t leave without him and Raylan Givens realized his dastardly plan had worked. He couldn’t get in the truck fast enough!
He drove off to be the center of Amy and Gene’s world and he is loving it! No dogs to compete with for attention and a soft couch (and soft hearts!) to live on for the rest of his life. Raylan Givens is now named Otis Ray.
Happy tails, Otis Ray and new family, Amy and Gene. Thank you for opening your hearts and home to this little rascal!
A lot has happened in my short lifetime. That’s why I’m named after my hero Raylan Givens. He was all about justice and making right of things that were wrong. That’s also my story.
A few weeks back, I got lost. It was cold and rainy. I wandered around town, lost in the pouring rain. I followed a child home and climbed up an outside spiral staircase and then I could not get down.
I actually sat on the balcony two days before the family tried to get help. I don’t know why I had to sit there for two days without food or water, but I did. I kept thinking, “Someone help me! I am stuck up here, cold, wet and hungry.” I think the people in the apartment were scared of me because they just closed the curtain and forgot I was out there.
The best day of my life was when two people came for me, climbed the stairs and carried me down. They posted me all around town, thinking someone surely missed me. But no one came for me and I am not microchipped.
I will need a couple surgeries and then I will be looking for a family who will never lose me again.
3/13/24 Update: I’ve been hanging out at Bright Star Veterinary Clinic awaiting my surgeries, and finally it was my turn! I no longer have to worry about being a “dad.” I get to concentrate on being a good Bulldog! I also had my cherry eye fixed and I am feeling like a new boy.
Last week, I got to meet a really nice lady who was picking Bulldogs to take home to her house. I put on my cutest face, and turned up the dial on all my sweet kisses
Well, it worked. She picked me to be the one she would bring home to foster! She told me she would be back on Tuesday to get me.
Much to my surprise she came back on Friday. I was secretly hoping it was to pick me up early. Yay! It’s a Happy Milk Bone Day and Ms. Bobbi was here to pick me up early.
Dr. Larsen said that I did really well in surgery with very minimal bleeding. I didn’t have a fever and was recovering great. So, Dr. Larsen’s team made the call that I was ready to go!
Wooohooo! I landed myself in a foster home with lots of fur sisters and brothers! There was a kennel all clean and ready for me. It even had a new pillow in there for me. Not to mention, all the fresh cozy blankies. Ms. Bobbi, aka my new foster momma, even fed me and got me some toys for me to play with!
Now, I just need to concentrate on relaxing and letting my body heal. After that, it will be time to find my next family!
4/9/24 Update: Guess you know by now that Tiga and I didn’t make the pizza paw-ty.
Foster Mom said it wasn’t my fault, but I sure feel like it was. Foster Mom was giving us baths Sunday morning. We were all excited because we wanted to look our best for the party!
Foster Mom was telling us how we might meet our next families, plus we’d get to see our fella Bulldogs and rescue volunteers. And the best part? We’d get to eat some good yummies!
Well, in the midst of all the excitement and after getting all dried off and brushed, I wanted to be EXTRA playful. BAD IDEA! I ran toward Foster Mom and I slipped on a slick spot on the bathroom floor. I slid into my Foster Mom and it knocked her off her balance and she fell down!
She was crying and screaming for help so I rushed over to her! I put my paw on her chest and I began giving her my special Bulldog kisses until Justice could get to us. Foster Mom rubbed my head, told me it’s OK and that it wasn’t my fault. Boy, I was sure scared. I could tell Foster Mom was scared too by the tone in her voice.
I heard her telling Justice she couldn’t walk or move without a lot of pain. So, being a young boy, I did all I knew to do. I just stayed right by her side giving her as many healing Bulldog kisses as I could! She told me I was such a good boy.
That’s how we missed the party. Foster Mom ordered some meatballs with Justice’s pizza. Justice made us a special bowl of snacks. He made us a fresh fruit bowl with some cheese in there too.
The good news is we clean up well, and Foster Mom says we are so good at taking baths! We are all clean and smell even better. Foster Mom had to get checked out at the hospital. She got to come back home, but she is on bed rest until her surgery.
Foster Mom told us this morning we might have to move to a new foster home. She did reassure us that we would be in great hands no matter our foster parent. I trust Foster Mom ~ she only wants the best for us, and she said everyone at Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue was like her. So, I guess we might be headed on a new adventure, and at least this time, we won’t be lost. We will just be meeting a new foster family.
Stay tuned ~ I’m sure you will be hearing from me real soon with an update.
4/24/24 Update: Raylan Givens, or Ray Ray as I call him, joined us Friday. This young guy has an old soul and let us know immediately upon arrival that he much prefers to lay on the couch with his people than bounce around the yard with these young pups. I can just hear him shouting “Get off my lawn!” then mumbling “Damn kids” as he returns to his easy chair to watch “the game” and crack a cold one.
Though he’s old at heart, he still gets excited and jumps on us, so we’re teaching him “off.” He’s stubborn, but smart so he gets it, but wants to do what he wants. That being said, he prefers to hang indoors and will push and push and push when made to go outside. He knows what “outside” means ~ he just doesn’t want to go, so after a little wrestling and battle of wills, he goes begrudgingly.
Being that he prefers the indoors, he has a bad habit of using it as his personal bathroom. We’ve caught him hiking his leg on more than one occasion, so belly bands it is! How embarrassing, I know.
He’s slept peacefully in his crate the last two nights with no incident though he did poop in his crate after dinner last because it took us too long to come get him (it was like 30 seconds). In the morning, we got up early and enjoyed a long cuddle on the couch together. He thoroughly enjoys cuddles and usually politely waits for an invitation to join us on the couch.
I’m thankful he’s a squatty fella because, if God had given him longer legs and a longer body, I’m convinced he would eat everything on the kitchen counters! We’re working on that too.
There have been a couple instances of inappropriate corrections of other dogs, but he minds our intervention pretty well and nothing has escalated beyond baring teeth and growling. We’ll continue to monitor him and avoid letting him get into tight spaces with the other dogs, as this seems to put him on edge.
All in all, he’s doing very well. I think a family who will set boundaries for him and hold him to them will be best. He’d most enjoy a slower pace, though maybe he’s just tired from the transition and his spunky side hasn’t appeared yet. Stay tuned!
