Maddie and Phoenix
I would like to introduce two of my muses. Our covid adoption English bulldogs.
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Maddie was a breeder dog for 3 litters. We adopted her because she was being “retired” which meant ‘re-homed’. I know, sad right?! She was 4 years old when we adopted her in 2020. She has a total “mom” personality and she will put Phoenix in his place when needed.
Maddie enjoys…the couch. And occasional petting and car rides.
Phoenix is a clefty. (Named after Joaquin Phoenix) He was a miracle pup! I honestly could never afford a “breeder” quality bulldog, so we were extra excited to be able to adopt Phoenix. He was the reason we met and adopted Maddie. He was in her last litter.
We closely kept in contact and waited for him to make it through hand feeding and eating on his own. (His cleft prevented him from nursing)
When Phoenix was 4 weeks old we went to meet him. The runt. The tiny little bulldog that stole our hearts. And when we arrived we were greeted by Maddie. So friendly and excited. Butt wagging and showing off her pups. We fell in love with her too. So, here we are, the proud parents of 2 loving, slobbery, chonky bulldogs with faces only parents could love.
Phoenix enjoys hogging my chair, chasing rabbits and annoying Maddie.
Adopting a dog is like having a toddler, for 8-15 years! But also having a best friend, companion, comedian and cuddle buddy.
Unfortunately, Phoenix is a bit mischievous and he eats everything! He grazes in the yard like a goat.
November 13 2022, he had to have emergency stomach surgery to remove a foreign object. It was what looked to be a chunk of rubber backing from a rug and a long strand of carpet.
He was extremely ill and I was devastated. After about 6 hrs of waiting they gave me the estimate. OMG. $5800. I had to max a credit card and apply for care credit.
SO many people scolding me because I did not have pet insurance. If you have the extra funds, and a dog breed or personality that may be prone to medical needs, please do look into it. However, most have a lower limit and Care Credit was a decent option at the time. It does have hefty interest rates unless you do the 6 months same as cash. My personal card was a lower rate and lower monthly payments.
On December 24th 2022, Phoenix fell ill AGAIN. There was a horrible snow storm. On the way there my windshield wiper had snapped off. I could barely see. Luckily the pet hospital was only 3 miles away.
I sat in my car on Christmas Eve sobbing. For hours. And AGAIN they told me approx. $5800. This was an emergency. Time sensitive. I had to think about his future, quality of life, the risks of a 2nd surgery right after he barely recovered from the first. I could not believe this was happening. Do I have him put to sleep? Do I say goodbye to my annoying, loving, crazy clefty pup? They gave him about 60/40 odds. I still didn’t know what he ate this time or why. Will this happen again? How could I possibly pay for this?
They do not have toys. The only things I let them have supervised is the Benebone and tough crunch balls they love so much. He has never chewed up anything except dog beds and stuffed animals and I no longer allow them. I had no idea, and still have no idea, WHY or WHAT he ate.
The vet was calling various charity organizations, but it was Christmas. She was even asking if anyone wanted to adopt him and cover his surgery. I agreed to relinquish him if someone could save him. That broke my heart, but not as much as the thought of sending him to the rainbow bridge so young.
After discussing with my wife, a few friends, and soul searching, I maxed out my Credit Card again and increased the Care Credit. I was now suddenly $11, 400 in debt in just 30 days.
Needless to say, between my credit card and Care Credit as of May 2023, I still owe about $5600. I used Christmas gift money, company bonus, commissions, cut back on everything, received some donations and paid off as much as I could over the past 6 months. And he is happy, healthy and still hogging my chair and chasing rabbits out of the backyard! So thankful….yet still in debt.
If you would like to help Phoenix and I get his bill paid off, my daughter started a GoFundMe page below. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!