ADOPTION PENDING
Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
You’re about to meet the most special dog who charms everyone he comes in contact with!! He loves all people and thinks everyone should be his best friend. This is Maestro and he is a gorgeous blue and tan French Bulldog who is 3yrs old. He weighs about 24 lbs.
Now before we get all our Frenchie loving people wanting to adopt, we have to stress that it is very important that anyone interested in Maestro read his bio in full, as he is a special needs little guy. It’s nothing that slows him down and he certainly doesn’t know that he is differently abled, but it is something that his new family needs to embrace, manage and love him for.
See, Maestro was previously owned by a senior and had been given to his owner as a gift. They loved Maestro, but unfortunately were not prepared financially for a Frenchie, which is a breed known for many medical issues. Terribly, Maestro had a herniated disc injury occur in his back. He was paralyzed in the back end and needed a lot of management. His owner did not opt for the surgery that could have fixed Maestro and instead chose to manage his condition as best as they could. The owner was struggling with their own serious medical issues and couldn’t care for Maestro as was needed, and sadly surrendered him to a pound. Thankfully the pound saw a dog that was happy, friendly and eternally optimistic and they reached out to rescues to find a spot for him. We are Bulldog lovers and took him on fully prepared to schedule the back surgery we expected he would need. We were very pleased to discover upon meeting Maestro for the first time that he was much more mobile than we were thinking…he was zooming around on his leash, with his wonky back end, super thrilled to be meeting us all. We got right to work on the vet visit, and then an appointment with a neurology specialist at OVC, and were really disappointed to learn that unfortunately, too much time had passed since the disc herniated, to when we got him; and the window for surgical repair had closed. Had his owner surrendered him a month or so sooner, we could have maybe helped him more, but we were told at the specialist appointment, and then again in a consult between our vet and the specialist, that he was not a surgical candidate. His back was healing itself but without that surgery, it will only heal to a certain extent, and there is a 6mth window for this healing. Maestro is closing in on that and we can say that as he is today, he is happy, pain free, medication free, and able to get around very well…..but….he has limited feeling in his back legs. He walks with a straight gait in the back end and his rear legs don’t always know where they are going. It’s more noticeable when he is walking slowly, and much less noticeable when he is racing around…and let me tell ya, he can race around!!! Maestro doesn’t need any assistance with walking and he can sit, lie down, stand all on his own. He has a wonky back end but he has a solid front end and as a Frenchie, he has a muscular chest that really helps with his mobility. When his disc initially herniated, he was fully paralyzed and lost the ability to express his bladder. We are happy to say that along with being mobile now, he also has control over his bladder and is able to do all bathroom duties on his own. He does though, sometimes squirt a bit of urine when getting up or if excited, so he wears a diaper in the home to protect against that. It doesn’t happen all the time, and often he has a clean diaper, but he doesn’t mind the diaper at all and stands nicely for us to put it on when he comes in from outside, and it catches any unintended squirts that may happen. He is clean in his crate and doesn’t need his diaper when crated. He will come with a nice selection of doggy diapers…we just need his new person or family to be fully committed to caring for a dog that has mobility special needs and are fine with a dog that is diapered in the home. He also sometimes pees on his front legs so he gets regular quick baths to keep him clean, usually just leg wash downs. He is fine to bathe and it’s easy to do.
We really want to focus on that all that is great about Maestro as there is so much more to this little dog than his disability. Maestro is a joyful clown of a dog and everything we all love about Frenchies. He is a big cuddle bug and loves to be on your lap. He loves his walks and gets so excited when you put his leash on. He is equally good on walks around the neighbourhood, or on a long line out in the fields or on trails. If he is always to be walking on cement or pavement he should wear little booties or socks on his back feet to protect them as sometimes his back feet scrape the ground. On the grass or softer surfaces, this isn’t required. Maestro is great in the car and is a fantastic travel companion. We crate him in the car for his safety and he settles in quietly for the ride. He is eternally happy and always has a grin on his face. He is a dog that makes people smile when they see him and he is always happy to meet a new friend. Maestro is a very social little dude and he thinks everyone should be a buddy of his.
Maestro is great with other dogs and can nicely live with another dog. It would be best for the other dog to be of similar size to him, or if larger, then an older, more mature dog, would be best. Maestro does like to play with other dogs and we need to guard against further back injury, so playing with a large dog would not be ideal. In his foster home he has a Frenchie bestie and they play really nicely together. He does respect the older dogs in his foster home and doesn’t bother them to play. Maestro loves chewing on dog toys and playing with stuffies. Maestro is not good with cats and will not be adopted out to a home with cats or other small animals in it. Maestro would be fine in a home with children old enough to be aware of his back injury and to be careful with him. Older children who won’t topple down on top of him or push on his back would be just fine.
Maestro would like a home where he isn’t left for a full work day. In his prior home someone was home all the time and so he isn’t used to be left for very long. He is crated when we leave and does well with this, but he is only left for a few hours at a time. He can be vocal initially when he is crated, but quiets down and then rests quietly until your return. His home needs to have easy access to a safe, fenced yard. When out of his crate he needs to get out to pee asap and so having his crate set up close to the door to the yard works well for him. He doesn’t like to be left outside alone for any length of time but does well to get his jobs done out in the yard, before then going for a walk. When he is out in the yard you will fully see just how able this disabled dog is. Maestro loves to RUN, and boy is he speedy. You would never know he has anything wrong with him when you watch him zoom from one end of the yard to the other. He loves to run and he does so with gusto. Its adorable to watch!! His little back legs just fly along with him, often popping out to the side, but he doesn’t care cuz he’s zooming!
Adopters with previous French Bulldog or other Bulldog experience are preferred, as they are a special breed with specific needs to keep them happy and healthy. He will need to have his wrinkles cleaned on a regular basis as well as special attention to any potential allergies associated with food. He is doing well on the food he is on in our care, which is a top quality diet, and he should be kept on this. Frenchies are prone to environmental allergies and he may need allergy meds throughout his life, although so far he has been ok and showing no signs of having any allergies. Adopters should also regularly maintain his teeth through
brushing and/or dental treats. Potential adopters should be aware of possible breed specific health issues and commit to any financial needs he may have in the future to maintain his health. This is a breed that comes with an assortment of potential medical issues and they are known as a high maintenance breed for upkeep and medical care. His family needs to be fully aware of this and be financially able to care for anything that Maestro will need in his life. Which leads us to the question, what does the future look like for Maestro? This is hard for us to say exactly. Our vet has told us that there is nothing holding him back from being adopted, we just need to find that special person or family that has a kind heart and is willing to work with a special needs dog, and is financially secure should he have any future back issues. He still has time for his back to heal further and get more mobility, however he may never become more mobile. If he continues to get better, fantastic! We can say in the time we have had him he has strengthened and is more mobile than when we got him. If he stays as he is, that’s ok. He is happy, pain free and he is mobile. He can do the deck stairs, he can get around well, he is A-OK just as he is. Could he suffer another herniated disc? Yes, that could happen, or it won’t. We don’t know. But with Frenchie’s that is a risk you take. This is something that they are prone to. Should this happen, he would require back surgery immediately to fix it. His family needs to guard against this by not letting him become overweight, by keeping him lean and muscular, and by not letting him jump up on the couch (he does try sometimes!) or jump down from the couch, bed etc. When lifting him, support his entire back. Don’t let him engage in overly rough wrestling with other dogs…just general things to keep his back safe.
What we can tell you is that Maestro is SO worth the extra maintenance and care, and even that special care is minimal. It’s easy to put his diaper on…and we don’t care if he has a little squirt in it…oh well. Toss it in the wash and put on another. He is low energy in the home and super easy to have around. He likes to have a nice bed to chew his Nylabones in. He likes naps. He follows you around the house but settles in whatever room you are in. We block off the stairs so he doesn’t go up them as he would certainly try. He is quiet in the home and such an easy dog to live with. He loves cuddles and he makes us laugh all the time. If it weren’t for his hatred of cats we as his foster family would have adopted him…hands down. He is just so special. We know that there is a Frenchie loving person or family out there that will see what this amazing dog has to offer.
If you are interested in Maestro send us in an application and be sure to tell us in there why you feel that you would be a great fit for Maestro. The more you can tell us about your home, your knowledge of this breed etc the better. We know that there is super kind and compassionate person/people out there that would just love to have a happy little Frenchie companion and we look forward to meeting them!!