01/01/2026
2025 Rescue Year in Review (Yes, it's a long one!)
Several different images for me for 2025. A lot of shelter transfers, The arrival of the Purple Pig, some amazing surgeries, wonderful families and the passing of some beloved Bulldogs.
However, the major flashback for me of 2025 is the Butt.
I never spent so much time worrying, watching, lubricating, cleaning, consulting and reading about the Bulldog Butt as I have this past year! We have dealt with Re**al and Urethral prolapses over the years of rescue but Walter brought a whole new perspective!
Received a phone call from a Vet at VSS who had recently moved to St. Louis from Oklahoma. In Oklahoma she was very familiar with our affiliate rescue Tornado Alley Bulldog Rescue. Their President was overjoyed to give the vet my contact info. A 10-week-old Bulldog puppy had presented with a full Re**al Prolapse. This was the puppy’s 3rd prolapse in 3 weeks and the breeder had already spent close to $10,000 on surgeries and treatment. I said yes and embarked upon the season of the Butt.
Puppy didn’t have a name, so we asked our Facebook peeps for suggestions. Tested him on the names, and he liked Walter. Hospice girl Bitty was willing to teach him basic Bulldog things. Dr. Ragan gave me the rundown on care, process, future and things I never wanted to know and products I never wanted to buy. (I didn’t know that K-Y Jelly is a high theft item). Little Walter was not house trained or crate trained and was still on a baby puppy feeding schedule. His meals were culinary achievements including fiber, vitamins, stool softeners and his medications. He had just had his 3rd “Purse String” surgery and we really didn’t want it to prolapse again. He would do small prolapses and they would get lubed and would fold back in.
Until Saturday night…
Walter did a full prolapse again. It was NOT going back in. This is where we are so incredibly grateful for Dr. Ron Ragan and the other vets and techs and staff at Troy and Wentzville vet clinics! Dr. Ragan came into the office on Sunday morning for Walter. He examined Walter, sedated him, cleaned and manipulated the re**um back into its spot for Purse String procedure number 4. We were running out of tissue to work with. We were out of easy options. The next surgery was to open him up, suture the re**um to the body wall and hope it didn’t tear loose as he was still in rapid growth mode. Walter had almost doubled his weight and he was still a long way from his adult size. Option 1, do the surgery. Option 2, put him to sleep. Sometimes you just do it…
Surgery went well. Walter had multiple layers of stitches inside holding his parts together. It took him several weeks to get back to his happy self. One of our prior adopters was open to seeing if Walter would be a good fit with their older Boxer, who was totally over the constant play behavior of Pi the Bulldog, and Pi who wanted someone who wasn’t always cranky when she wanted to play. Walter needed a family and another Bulldog to get his muscle tone up and strengthen his body with good and consistent exercise. It is working! After a couple of months Walter was actually able to jump onto a chair by himself! He still has a good way to go to be fully healed, and he still needs to be neutered before he can be adopted, but we are so thrilled with his progress!
Second Flashback for me is the Purple Pig.
At 95 pounds, short legs, long body, weird lilac purple merle pattern, horrible eyes, infected tail and really looked like a pig! Sweetest disposition and an allergy panel that currently holds the STLEBR record for “How Does This Dog Live?” award!
15 pages of everything from surfactants in shampoo to cotton and leather and a food list that is totally insane! He can eat venison and kangaroo. He can sleep on silk!
We learned the hard way that the Pig has an auto immune disease that makes it very difficult for his skin to heal from surgeries. He also has a clotting disorder. Tail amputation, 4 eye lid entropion surgery and a neuter equals a fun night at the ER while they try to close off a bunch of veins and clear out a bunch of clots. He did decorate the holding room with some very interesting blood art! He has since had to have several more surgeries, and we now know they will take 8 to 12 weeks and at least 1 ER visit.
I was doing a judging assignment in DC and afterwards we were talking about rescue. I showed a picture of the Pig and one of the people said “yes! He is a Kuana Kuana pig!”. Pig generally fills the Fat and Jobless position at Kristina’s house. He will be a permanent foster due to his monthly diet and maintenance costs. We love him, but he is the definition of a train wreck at only 4 years old.
Shelter transfers in 2025
Busiest year in recent memory for shelter transfers! Butters (now Mable) from St. Charles, Poppy from KC Pet Project, Gary and Stanley from St. Louis County, Pixie from CareSTL, Pedro from Gladstone MO. Most of them required some surgery, all are in great homes!
And then the weird ones…
Rescue is always an adventure. Penelope from the actual Pig Pen. Penny from the family with some very interesting dynamics. Millie from the family where the grandson is wanting to hit her with the light saber toy. Marilyn who was dropped off on a rural road in the dark. Remi who was passed around family members because the original owner was bored with him. Buffy and Ramboo caught in a divorce and relocation, Cooper and Bullet and Boris and Bella who were just more work and $$ than people thought they would be. JoJo II who needed some very intensive surgery and the most cosmetic skin removal I’ve ever seen! Nala is a weird Frenchie cross bred from a “new” registry. She was 10 months old, owner in prison for drug dealing and he wanted her sold. We normally don’t take the cross breeds or Frenchies, but there wasn’t going to be a good ending for this pup in any known scenario. She is now spayed and settling into her Foster to adopt home. Each one of these pups was a different personality. Each had different needs.
We try not to talk about the interesting people we meet on this journey…
Odin came back to Rescue bringing his house mate with him. His adopter had some major medical challenges. His doggie roommate needed some pretty intensive surgery. Odin was holding his own, but he needed additional care on his ears with small abscesses popping up. This is very common with ear ablation surgery; recovery is pretty much lifetime. Odin is also losing sight in his remaining eye. He liked the hand-held massager for a while which helped keep his lymph system moving until he decided to kill it! Now he has a massage mat that seems to be doing the job.
We lost several Bulldogs over the year. They had all been very loved in their adoptive homes and are all very missed. We had a 5-day period in November that I hope we never repeat! 5 Bulldogs passed in 5 days. Just a devastating week.
We survived 2025! Thanks to all of our supporters and donors our vet bills and ER Bills are paid and all the Bulldogs are in foster to adopt homes or permanent foster homes. We truly appreciate all of the support from all of our followers and donors. We couldn’t do any of this without you! Thank you! Here is to a great 2026.
