- Aug 31, 2011
- 4,243
- 439
- Country
- USA
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Miss Bertha Bacon and Petey Herman (Frenchie)
Age: 4 yearsGender: Altered Female
Weight: 53 lbs
Energy Level: Med low
Color: Mostly white with dapples and a brindle backside
Good with other dogs: Mostly ignores, but with sight/hearing issues caution should be exercised
Good with cats: Ignores them at the vet's office
Good with kids: Unknown
Object Agression: None displayed thus far
Special Needs: Hearing and sight issues, see below
Medications: Dry eye meds will be lifetime requirement
Crate Trained:
House Trained: See below
Adoption fee: $550
Shipping: IBR does not ship bullies
BIO:
Hope came in with 2 cherry eyes, dry eye, inner ear infection (both ears), fleas and a terrible skin infection. She will be evaluated by the vet and more information will be available as soon as we know it.Hope is a stray. She has 2 cherry eyes, dry eye, inner ear infection (both ears), fleas, skin issues that could be caused by fleas & it's now a skin infection or it could be thyroid related.
JANUARY UPDATE: Hope has improved dramatically since arriving in rescue. Her eye, ear and skin infections are now all gone and her hair is growing back. All blood, urine and organ function tests are normal. A bad tooth was pulled, but she still needs a dental cleaning. It's easy to tell Hope feels much better overall and her personality is emergine. Her being whiter and rounder and with Christmas songs like "Frosty the Snowman playing repeatedly, her foster mom has started to think of her as "a jolly, happy soul" because she truly is.
Hope's hearing is still questionable, she seems to hear only high tones, i.e. responds to a whistle by not to voice commands. Her eyesight is also limited to light vs. dark, but her vet says her eye health has greatly improved. Dry eye meds will be a lifetime requirement. She is awaiting the scheduling of surgery to repair her cherry eye. Her foster mom leaves lots of lights on and turns lights on ahead of entering rooms and it has helped Hope navigate well in the house. She functions well with established routines and in an environment she can memorize.
Hope has learned about getting treats. After several tries of rubbing a smelly treat against her jutting lower lip, she opened her mouth and her foster mom popped it in. Now she is all about it and even knows which cabinet those delicious things come out of. She recently learned the joy of McDonald's fries, too.
Hope walks well on a leash. She is a good, calm car traveler. Housebreaking continues to be a question, though. She seems to understand the principles, but either has no background in trusting someone to take her out if she "holds it" or cannot last long. She may never be a dog that can be left for 8-10 hour work days. She also seems to be fine with other dogs and cats, but doesn't see or hear jostling/aggression coming, so caution is needed.
Hope has a pronounced right shoulder limp, which continues to be checked but may just be her conformation - she has big ol' bulldog shoulders. They are perfectly sized for good hugs, though. Despite ear infections being gone, a head tilt remains as well. Again, may just be how she is. It's rather jaunty!
Hope works hard to stay close to her person. Two baby gates and a bent metal crate have proved to her foster mom that she believes she should sleep in the room where her person sleeps. Her foster mom has a hard time with continuing to think she's fragile because of her initial health problems. She's all bulldog! She also recently figured out a way to climb up on an ottoman and has decided one of the big leather chairs is quite comfy. She's worked out her own way of easing up and down from it.
MARCH UPDATE: Hope's eye surgery is completed and she is doing great! She clearly feels better and is more functional and responsive to her surroundings. She will always have vision limitations and will need to continue Cyclosporin eye drops.
Upon X-raying, her right front limp was found to be due to arthritis in her elbow. She will continue to need Rimadyl daily to help with that. Her coat has grown back in though, and she is looking so pretty!
Hope continues to be a delight to her foster mom, she is such a sweet soul. She does an awkward little shuffling dance of joy to greet her mom when she comes home. Hope wants nothing more than to be warm and fed and to be right by the side of her person.
House training remains a challenge, but her foster mom believes she "gets it" and someone whose schedule has less than her current 10-12 hour work days would be able to make great progress with Hope.
Hope is okay with other dogs and cats, but her limited vision and hearing will impact her interaction with them. She will do well in a home where she can memorize the layout and routine, as well.
JULY UPDATE: Hope continues to be a sweetie! She has been to the kennel a couple times while her foster mom was away and has captured the hearts of all the employees there.
Hope's foster mom says that all her concerns about Hope's limited eyesight and hearing have been erased during her interactions with other dogs. She holds her own. She even used her foster sister as her personal guide dog during the trips to and from the kennel. Hope just stayed right on her tail all the time. She totally figured that out on her own!
Time at the kennel also seems to have improved potty training. This reinforces Hope's foster mom's theory that she "gets it" when frequent enough trips can be made, not limited to her long work days.
Update November 2014:
Sadly Hope has crossed to the rainbow bridge, run free Hope.... RIP
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