Spring Is Bulldog Time!

Learn About All Our Great Bulldogs and Upcoming Events!

Bulldog Spotlight--

Serenity

They pulled into the shelter’s parking lot after hours, when they knew everyone had already left on Sunday. They dumped what seemed like a lifeless mass on the parking lot and vanished. The next morning, when employees arrived for work, they found her—barely alive.

We named her Serenity because it is something she’s probably never known. She had cuts, gashes and punctures all over her body. She looked like she was viciously attacked by a pack of large dogs. The injuries appeared to be a few days old and already smelled of infected flesh. Her “owners” spread a little salve on them before they dumped her.

The shelter staff immediately started working on her. They started IV fluids and getting antibiotics on board. When she was stable, they notified us and requested an emergency pickup.

Our volunteer Ronnie said he’d never seen a dog alive who was so badly injured. She seemed on the brink of death. She couldn’t move or even lift her head. As they rushed to Dr. Larsen’s, he checked his rear view mirror every few minutes to be sure she was still breathing and prayed the whole way.

Bright Star Veterinary staff had been notified and were anxiously waiting for her arrival. They restarted an IV and gave her Nutri-Cal and other supplements and pain meds to help stabilize her.

She had a very large open gash in one armpit. She had another deep gash in her neck. Because she was so weak from the blood loss and in shock, they did not do much beyond immediate care and getting her stabilized.

We couldn’t imagine her pain. We couldn’t imagine how sore she would be for weeks. We couldn’t imagine the people who let her endure this. But before Ronnie left, she looked up at him with her big brown eyes just long enough as if to say, “Thanks.”

Serenity is around 3 years old and weighs around 40 pounds. She has a very long journey ahead of her, but with your prayers and support, we hope she’ll make a full recovery. The mental wounds may take much longer to heal than the physical ones.

She continues to do well. She is getting stronger and they have finally finished removing all the dead/dying skin and the healing has really taken off. Unfortunately they were finally able to begin doing more labs. We were not surprised she is still anemic and that her kidney function was a little off. However, we were saddened to find out she is Heartworm positive and will need treatment for that when she gets stronger. She will also need to be spayed.

This girl has simply been amazing. She is a testament to the fortitude of the dogs we help. She is also a testament to our vet staff, supports and volunteers. She has the most amazing personality. She loves to play with the young children of one of the staff. She seems to love everyone and everything. She is still a little timid around strangers, but she quickly learns to trust. She even seems comfortable with the dogs who walk by for a brief visit at the clinic.

Thank you to a whole village of people who are a part of this miracle!

For more about Serenity or to follow her ongoing saga, check out her page on our website.

Spring Is Here—And So Are The Mosquitoes!

And Mosquitoes Mean Heartworms!

We are often asked why applications for adoption are declined. And while there are many reasons, one of the most often and most unnecessary is a lack of heartworm prevention with current dogs. For some reason people just have not gotten the message about its importance.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets in the United States and many other parts of the world. It is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body. Heartworm disease affects dogs, cats and ferrets, but heartworms also live in other mammal species, including wolves, coyotes, foxes, sea lions and—in rare instances—humans. Because wild species such as foxes and coyotes live in proximity to many urban areas, they are considered important carriers of the disease.

Please don't assume that your dog will be “lucky" and escape the bite of a mosquito infected with heartworm larvae! It is so easy and very cost effective to ensure your dog takes his heartworm preventative regularly. Heartworms in dogs are easy to prevent, but difficult and costly to cure. For less than the cost of a regular trip to Starbucks you can prevent heartworm disease in your dog. There are monthly pills, monthly topicals that you put on the skin, and there’s also a six-month injectable product. One treatment for a dog infected with heartworms can cost about the same as 6-7 years of prevention. This cost of prevention does not take into consideration the associated health risks experienced by an infected dog.

Heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states. And the bite of just one mosquito infected with the heartworm larvae will give your dog heartworm disease.

So don't count on being “lucky" please use a preventative regularly—it is for the health and longevity of your dog. He or she depends on you to ensure their continued good health.

3-Ingredient Homemade

Dog Treats

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 large ripe banana (or 2 medium bananas), smashed

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Blitz the old-Fashioned rolled oats in a blender until you have a fine flour, or, alternatively, use oat flour instead. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, smash the peanut butter and ripe banana.

Add the oat flour and smash with a fork until the dough is thick and well combined. If it’s crumbly, add 2-4 Tablespoons more peanut butter and recombine. You want the dough to be firm, sticky, and pliable.

Roll dough into a thin slab, about ~1/4 inch thick, and cut into shapes with a cookie cookie. Alternatively, you can roll them into ~1 Tablespoon balls and flatten with your hands for a simple circular cookie.

Bake for ~15 minutes until lightly brown underneath. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before sampling or sharing with your pup!

These cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Source: FLORA & VINO

Amazon Wish List

Our standard Amazon Wish List is still active as well. Check out http://amzn.to/2dUQRXL. Items purchased through that list will ship directly to us. This is a great way to donate items to our fosters and their foster dogs during the year.

Ways You Too Can Help Rescue!

DONATE NOW!

There are a host of Volunteer Opportunities.

Attend one of our Events.

Make a purchase from our Online Store.

Make a Donation.

Purchase something on our Amazon Wish List.

Upcoming Events . . .

Pizza Paw-ty

Sunday, April 10 — 3:00PM – 5:00PM

Campisi’s

2115 Summer Lee Dr., #105, Rockwall, TX

We’re having a little get-together with a few of our favorite things: Bulldogs, pizza and YOU!

We’ll be visiting Campisi’s in Rockwall and we hope you can swing by for a quick bite. We’re inviting our foster families, so some foster dogs may be in attendance. You’ll also be able to meet some of our volunteers to learn more about our rescue program and ask your Bulldog-specific questions.

Many thanks to our friends at Campisi’s in Rockwall for hosting this gathering for us!

Bulldog Bonanza at The Shacks

Sunday, April 24 — 1:00PM – 3:00PM

The Shacks at Austin Ranch

5800 Windhaven Parkway, The Colony, TX

Please join Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue for another Bulldog Bonanza!

The Shacks is nestled among huge oak trees and offers six restaurants for its visitors. The restaurants share a large, open-air patio that overlooks a one-acre dog park that is open to the public.

We’ll be set up in an area that requires leashes (NON-RETRACTABLE, please!). You can bring your own dog if your dog is dog-friendly, current on vaccinations and won’t be overwhelmed/overheated with all the activity.

Many thanks to our friends The Shacks for hosting this get-together for us!