Special Needs Buddies and Special Fundraisers

These are the heartwarming stories of some of the truly needy dogs of rescue that Boston Buddies is able to assist

You can make a donation towards these Special Needs Buddies by using this PayPal button

If you would like your donation to go towards a particular Special Needs Buddy let us know!

From all of us at Boston Buddies - most especially these very special dogs - thank you!

Rocco is a 7 year old boy who was relinquished to Boston Buddies by his owners with the hope that we could get him the medical care that he needed. We took Rocco to the veterinary dermatologist and after running several tests and taking multiple skin biopsies, Rocco has been diagnosed with pemphigus - an autoimmune skin disorder.

Read About Pemphigus Here

Rocco has been started on a drug treatment protocol to control the pemphigus and allow the many lesions covering his body to heal.

Rocco After A Bath

While Rocco waits for the drug therapy to work he is spending his days in the same fabulous foster home as Hope. Rocco's foster mom gives him medicated baths to soothe his skin and remove the old, crusty lesions, giving him some temporary relief. Rocco enjoys his days napping and his eyes light up at the thought of some of the delicious Canine Caviar!

Rocco Enjoying Some Down Time

Once Rocco's pemphigus is in control we are certain he will return to being the happy go lucky funny boy he once was. He loves people, dogs and cats. He absolutely adores getting under the blankets and giving lots of Boston kisses. And even though he is not feeling 100% he will still give you that little Boston wiggle when he sees you.

UPDATE November 16, 2008

Rocco on a Car Ride!

Rocco has made great progress during his time in rescue!

He has been seeing the dermatologist every two weeks for rechecks and blood work and we have been altering his medication protocol as he progresses. At his last recheck the dermatologist deemed him in "partial remission" and we could not be happier!

Before After

Rocco's Tummy Looks So Much Better!

While he is making progress, Rocco is still developing new lesions - although not nearly the number as before and the ones he is developing are not as deep. So Rocco is still seeing the dermatologist on a fairly frequent schedule and will need to continue these visits for the foreseeable future, but he is making progress.

Rocco's Fur is Growing!

Rocco is the nicest boy dog you will ever meet. He loves to give kisses and wants to say hi to everyone. He is a real favorite at the dermatologists office. He is also ready to spend time snuggling and snoozing the day away - preferably under his blankie!

Rocco Having a Snooze

We hope to be able to post soon that Rocco is ready to go to a forever home, but for now he is having a grand time in his foster home.

Two of Boston Buddies' wonderful volunteers were working on plans for the upcoming Tea Party when they received a phone call from the City of Long Beach shelter that there was an emaciated Boston in the shelter that was about to be put down. If Boston Buddies wanted the dog we were told we had to get there within the hour. Our volunteers dropped what they were doing and raced over the shelter to find this precious little girl - she had been found as a stray roaming the streets and one of the ladies at the shelter had named her Allie.

Allie sat in the shelter for an entire week and no one came for her. Allie was extremely dirty and looked like she had not eaten in weeks. Her eyes had that vacant stare we see when a dog begins to give up any hope that a human might show them love and affection. Our volunteer comforted Allie on the drive to our veterinary hospital and Allie responded with a few tentative kisses for her saviors - she seemed to sense that someone had finally come to her rescue.

Our volunteers raced Allie to the vet where she was immediately hooked up to IV fluids. An initial exam and in-house blood work shows that Allie is anemic and suffering from a major infection. She also has a deep ulcer on her eye that was left untreated by whoever allowed her to get in the condition she is in. In addition to all that, Allie has a mammary tumor. The staff at the vet's office let out screams of joy when they learned that X-rays showed no other tumors in Allie's poor emaciated body!

Allie is currently resting at the vet hospital and is still on IV fluids and medications. Once she has stabilized and gained some weight we will have the mammary tumor removed and her ulcerated eye treated. It is unclear at this point in time whether the eye will need to be removed.

Allie is a sweet, sweet girl with years of love left to give - we think she is only about eight years old although it appears that those eight years have not been happy or easy ones for Allie. Boston Buddies is committed to giving Allie every opportunity to recover from her life of hardship and sadness and find a loving, forever home that will cherish and spoil her.

Please say a prayer for Allie - your support and good wishes do make a difference!

Allie has been with Boston Buddies for two weeks now and we are all in love with her. Allie responded well to the IV fluids and good nutrition. Our vet was certain that Allie must be suffering from a thyroid condition because she is so skinny - but tests do not reveal that and it appears that Allie is skinny because she was not fed! Needless to say, she is now eating like a champ - and showing a definite preference for wet food. When she is fed a combination of kibble and canned food she will pick out all the kibble (actually sucking on the kibble to get the canned food off and then spitting the kibble out!) and eat the canned food first. She will eat the kibble but only after she has enjoyed every morsel of canned food. We are putting her on a special high caloric diet and feeding four meals a day to help her put some weight on. When she came to us she weighed only 12 lbs (the vet thinks she should be closer to 17 or 18 lbs). She is up to almost 13 lbs now but she is still quite bony and we hope she continues to gain some weight.

We took Allie to see the veterinary ophthalmologist earlier this week. Allie has a very deep ulcer in her right eye that is the result of an old injury that at some point was infected. The infection is gone but because the original injury was never properly treated, the eye healed on its own creating a lot of scar tissue. She does have limited vision in that one eye but you would never notice as it does not affect her ability to get around and she seems to have compensated for the diminished sight. Since there is no longer an infection and the eye has healed there is no reason for additional eye care or drops.

When Allie was well enough to leave the veterinary hospital she went home with Rachael and met Rufus and Harley. While she is fine with the other dogs, at this point in time she really just wants to rest and recuperate - she is not up to playing just yet. We did discover that she is housebroken and she will let Rachael know when she needs to go outside.

Allie thanks everyone for their prayers and good wishes. While she is still not well enough at this time to undergo surgery to remove the mammary tumor, she is on the road to recovery thanks to you all!

Allie continues to recuperate in her foster home. The past week has been an emotional rollercoaster as Allie would seem to make improvement one day only to regress the next. We found out that Allie was suffering from worms and we have addressed that issue, but she continues to have gastrointestinal issues (both diarrhea and vomit). Allie actually lost a half pound last week and we continue to closely monitor her for dehydration. The vet has started her on some new medication in an attempt to get her immune system in order. Today, Allie went to see an internal specialist and several tests were run to try to get to the bottom of what is going on with her. We are waiting for the results.

Allie's foster mom is in love with her. She went out and got Allie a new bed just for her - maybe the first bed Allie has ever had. Allie just LOVES her bed - she rolls around and around in it and each time one of her foster brothers starts heading that way she runs and gets into her bed. She also got a lovely new pink collar. Whenever her foster mom asks her "Who is my baby?!" Allie rolls over on her back for a tummy rub. She is clearly learning how to enjoy being part of a family.

Sadly, Allie has not made improvement since our last update. She is not gaining any weight and continues to have gastrointestinal issues. We got the test results back from the internal specialist - the x-rays did not show anything but the blood work showed that Allie is still quite anemic. The specialist also discovered that Allie has small tumors and growths on each and every mammary gland - not just the one large one we knew about already. The specialist recommended that we do an ultrasound on Allie to get a better idea of what was going on internally. To our dismay, the ultrasound shows that the tumors on Allie's mammary glands have metastasized and there is a large inoperable mass on her kidney. The vet said there is nothing more we can do for Allie except keep her comfortable for as long as possible. His prognosis is that she has 2-3 weeks left before her organs will no longer be functional and it will be time for her to begin her journey across the Rainbow Bridge.

Allie's foster mom and dad are heartbroken and we are all devastated. Allie's foster family will continue to love her until her time comes - and forever. The specialist gave us some medication to help with Allie's vomiting and it seems to be working - Allie has been able to keep food down, although she is still suffering from diarrhea and that will likely not get better. Allie's foster family is spoiling her - her foster dad is a chef and he is whipping up scrumptious meals to entice her to eat and Allie is cooperating in those efforts and loving every tasty morsel. Allie seems to know that she is home and a member of the family - when they come back to the house from walks she runs right up the steps to the front door of "her home" waiting for the door to be opened. Then she runs inside to get in "her bed" before either of her foster brothers can get there.

She is finally comfortable enough to jump up on the furniture and join everyone (including the cat!) to watch TV in the evening.

Even though she is so sick, Allie's personality is blossoming and she exudes that pure joyfulness of living in the moment that our furry friends are so good at - as one of our members put it -

We are all so sad for Allie. We are also angry at the owners who did not have her spayed early in life to reduce the chance of her developing mammary tumors. A simple routine procedure was all it would have taken to save Allie's life!

We thank all of our supporters and donors whose generosity has allowed us to pursue all avenues to help Allie. We are honored to have been able to give Allie every opportunity to come back from the neglect she suffered in her life and we are saddened that we cannot reverse that neglect.

We are so grateful to our wonderful foster family for showering Allie with love and kindness during these final weeks and months of her life. We can all take some comfort in knowing that Allie will begin her journey across the Bridge with the knowledge that she mattered and that she was loved and will be missed by many caring and compassionate people.

Sadly the day we had all been dreading came sooner than anyone expected or wanted. It is with great sorrow and through tears that we share the news that Allie left this world and made her journey across the Rainbow Bridge this morning. Allie's foster mom and dad were there with her, whispering to her how much they loved her and letting her know how much joy she had brought to their lives in the few short weeks they were blessed with her presence. Allie passed peacefully surrounded by love. Now she has joined the Angels.

Hope showed up in the Downey shelter in pretty bad shape with no name and no details about what had led up to her being left at the shelter. When Boston Buddies found out that her left eye was pushed out of its socket we knew we had to act right away. With the assistance of the shelter, Boston Buddies was allowed to take her out on a foster basis so that we could get her the medical treatment she needed and deserved -

We don't know what happened to Hope before she got the shelter - the first thought was that she had been hit by a car and that the trauma had caused the eye to pop out of the socket. But Hope did not have the lacerations, abrasions, bumps and lumps that you would normally see on an animal that has been hit by a car. Instead her left eye appears to have an old ulceration that was never treated - she is also suffering from glaucoma in the eye. The shelter estimated Hope to be about 10 years old and she weighs about 15 lbs. When our volunteer picked her up from the shelter she noticed that Hope's eyes were darting back and forth in a rapid movement (nystagmus), that she had problems with her balance and that her head was tilted to the left. Upon her initial exam at the vet it was discovered that Hope was suffering from infections in both ears and her body temperature was low.

The initial thought is that Hope may be suffering from vestibular disease - a common condition in older dogs stemming from inflammation in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum. There are three broad types of vestibular disease: idiopathic (unknown cause); inner ear; and central (involving the brainstem and cerebellum). The precise type that Hope may be suffering from has not been determined at this time.

Hope is currently being hospitalized and has been placed on IV fluids and medications. She is under 24 hour medical watch and will remain that way for at least the next four days. Our "hope" is that she will begin to recover to a point where we can safely treat her eye which will likely need to be removed. We "hope" to do that (as well as trim her nails and clean her teeth) as soon as she is medically fit for anesthesia. A visit to the neurologist and an MRI may also be called for – at this point we are taking it one day at a time and "hoping" that she responds to the current treatment protocol.

Before our volunteer left Hope at the vet’s office she spent some quiet time with her and as Hope was laying on our volunteer's chest Hope snuggled up and kept giving sweet, gentle Boston kisses – a rich reward for our volunteer's efforts!

Hope spent a quiet weekend hooked up to all her medications. The CBC and blood chemistry panel came back from the lab and it indicates that Hope is suffering from hypothyroidism, a condition that occurs when not enough thyroid hormone is produced. This can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including vestibular dysfunction. We have added thyroid medication to combat this condition and hope to see some improvement soon. The vet is recommending that Hope remain hospitalized for at least 10 more days.

Hope is still in the hospital and has just been diagnosed with a slight heart murmur. The good news is that no medication for the murmur is recommended at this time.

Hope is now officially a Boston Buddies dog. Her hold period at the shelter ended yesterday and our volunteer was there to officially change Hope's status from a shelter foster to a Boston Buddies dog!

All of us at Boston Buddies extend our most sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone who has sent good wishes to Hope.

The news is not so good about Hope's heart - the doctor's now think the murmur is more significant than previously diagnosed - they have now diagnosed it as a grade 4 heart murmur. The cardiologist is going to do an echocardiogram to make a more definitive diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate medications and protocol.

Our volunteer was able to spend some more time with Hope at the vet hospital - and was rewarded with even more Boston kisses -

Hope is moving around more than before, although she is still very wobbly and off balance. Her head tilt from the vestibular disease is still quite pronounced. Her eye will need to be removed but we need to resolve the heart murmur issues first.

Hope had her thoracic/cardiac ultrasound and it reveals that Hope has mild bilateral valve deficiencies. Along with that she has a mildly enlarged heart. The doctors have prescribed yet another medication, benazepril, which is an ACE inhibitor to regulate her pressure and improve her valve performance. The really good news is that the specialist said there were no findings present that would prohibit an anesthetic procedure so we can go ahead and get her eye taken care of. We hope to have that done in the next day or so - please keep the prayers and good wishes coming Hope's way!

Hope had her eye removed today. The vet said the surgery went extremely well and Hope is recovering nicely. We are certain that Hope is feeling much better without the injured and painful eye.

Doesn't Hope look happy? She had a big day today! Hope had the sutures from her eye removal taken out and was released from the vet hospital just in time to appear on The Pet Place TV Show which airs on KDOC-TV/56 in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties on Sunday mornings at 6:30am. Don't miss Hope's appearance (along with Baby, Truman and Dayna) on the August 24 show!

Hope had a grand time waiting to appear on camera. She got to meet Dale Anne, Kathy, Betty, Dawn, Brian and Annette, sharing kisses all around and thoroughly enjoying herself on the shady grass. There is no telling how long it has been since she has been on grass, but she took full advantage of the opportunity and rolled and rolled and rolled around on her back and took great delight in sniffing everything. She is moving around quite well now, although her head still has a tilt to it (the doctors say she may always have the tilt). She is still in recovery mode but she has made so much progress. To see her walking and sniffing and rolling around brought tears to our eyes.

After she finished her appearance it was off to meet up with her foster mom - YES, Hope went to a foster home today! We are all so thrilled that she was able to leave the hospital and continue her recuperation in a home environment where she will receive top notch TLC.

We want to extend our deepest appreciation to all our donors who make it possible for us to provide dogs such as Hope with the special medical care they need. Your generosity allows us to give these dogs a chance at finding a forever home. You have truly made a difference in their lives!

Hope is doing well in her foster home. Her foster mom tried a couple of different diets and preparation methods for her and finally found one that Hope loves - she now can't wait to clean her plate three times a day! Hope is getting a bit steadier on her feet - she has finally mastered the step down from the kitchen slider to the back yard so she can go out and come back in. She loves sleeping next to the other dogs in her foster home. Her foster mom shared this photo of Hope resting comfortably.

Hope continues to recuperate in her foster home. She does a lot of pacing and sometimes forgets where she is, but she is doing well. Here she is with Presley, a BT who lives in San Diego.

Hope's journey with Boston Buddies has truly touched many people's lives. Thank you for all your words of encouragement and support for Hope and her recovery - it really does make a difference!

Hope's foster mom reports that she is doing very well - she has a good appetite and is gaining weight! Hope loves the dog park and spends the time making the rounds saying hi to all. Her head tilt continues to improve and has straightened up quite a bit. Hope now uses the doggie door!!!

Hope is currently scheduled to attend the upcoming Boston Tea Party in Huntington Beach on September 20, 2008 - unless she finds her forever home before then!! She would love to meet the people whose good thoughts and prayers and donations have helped her make the progress she has. So if you have not already done so - make some plans to come to Huntington Beach on September 20 and say hi to Hope!

We lost sweet Hope this afternoon. She collapsed this morning and her foster mom raced her to the vet. They instantly put her on oxygen and she pinked up a bit. She was taken off of oxygen to x-ray her chest and she started to decline very fast. X-rays showed Hope's lungs had collapsed and we knew she had an enlarged heart. Hope was barely hanging on and her blood pressure had dropped to the point they couldn't even pull a blood sample. It was with many tears that we decided Hope had fought a good fight but it was time to hold her and let her go.

Special thanks to our friends and supporters that sent donations, prayers and healing energy for sweet little Hope. It is because of Boston Buddies like you that Hope was able to spend the last months of her life being spoiled and loved in the warm comfort of a happy foster home instead of dying alone and afraid in a cold, scary shelter like so many other abandoned and forgotten companions. We couldn't save dogs like Hope without your generous support. Thanks to each and every one of you, from Hope, and from all of us.

Lucy is a four year old Boston girl who was brought into the vet in crisis suffering from undiagnosed diabetes. She was in very bad shape and once an affirmative diagnosis of diabetes was made her owners were going to euthanize her. Lucy was a favorite with the the doctors and staff at the emergency clinic where she had been spending many days recovering and they asked the owners if they might consider relinquishing Lucy to a rescue group instead of euthanizing her. When they said yes the vet's office made a quick call to Boston Buddies and asked if we could help. We, of course, said yes!

Lucy had to spend a few more days in the emergency hospital while they worked to get her glucose and phosphorous levels stabilized but she was finally ready to go to a foster home and get out of the kennels!

We are still working to ascertain the correct dosage of insulin for Lucy - during her crisis she lost 4 lbs in a two week period and weighed only 14lbs when Boston Buddies picked her up from the vet. She has since gained a bit over a pound and continues to eat and gain weight each week which necessitates closely monitoring her glucose levels and modifying her insulin levels as appropriate.

Lucy is not ready yet to go to a forever home. We need to get her insulin dosage set and her glucose levels stabilized. Boston Buddies is so thankful that the wonderful vets in the emergency hospital took the extra step to save Lucy's life. She is a darling, friendly girl who has many years of love left to give.

Well, it took a bit of work, changing the type of insulin and some time, but we were finally able to stabilize Lucy's glucose levels! Lucy started gaining some weight and coming to life!

And the best news of all is that Lucy was adopted and is now in her forever home!!! She has a new family that loves her to no end.

When we saw Billy's photo on the shelter website we knew he needed our help! We contacted the rescue coordinator at the shelter right away who told us that Billy had been thrown out of a moving vehicle like a piece of garbage!! Thank goodness the local police picked him up and took him straight to a vet where they started caring for his injuries and administered medication to help control his pain. Boston Buddies took Billy into rescue as soon as he could be released from his shelter hold and

Billy is extremely emaciated, weighing only 13 lbs., and has cuts and scrapes all over his body - we aren't sure whether they are all from his being thrown out of the vehicle or whether some are older injuries. We think Billy is 8-10 years old. Billy's right eye was damaged beyond repair so it was removed as soon as we could get him stabilized enough to withstand the surgery.

Billy is in a very special foster home (the same one Dart was in!) that provides excellent TLC and care for these dogs most in need. When he first got to his foster home Billy could barely stand up but he is now trotting around. Billy's foster mom reports that he is eating like a trooper - three times a day - and getting supplements and vitamins (and some liver too!) to help him heal. With each day Billy gains more strength and his cuts and scrapes are healing up nicely.

Through all of his pain and despite the horrific manner in which he was treated Billy is a sweet gentle soul who wants nothing more than to sit quietly by your side - and he enjoys the occasional treat too!

Billy's Foster Mom sent us these new photos showing the tremendous progress that Billy is making in her care!

His Foster Mom writes that Billy is starting to walk around a bit and just loves to warm himself in the morning sun. She is cooking him home made meals and he is eating like a trooper three times a day. He is putting on weight and filling in nicely - when he first arrived you could count every rib in his body. Billy is thriving in his foster home and reflecting the love and kindness shown to him by his foster family.

Billy wants to know - Can you give him the wonderful forever home he so richly deserves?

Billy started having seizures a few weeks ago. Boston Buddies took Billy to see a neurologist and had radiographs, a spinal tap and an MRI done - all of which were relatively normal. Billy has been placed on Phenobarbital to control the seizures but has now become a very quiet dog. Boston Buddies, in consultation with the specialists, has reduced the phenobarbital dosage and we are running more tests to try to determine what may be causing Billy's lethargy. Billy is not in pain or discomfort; he just wants to sleep all day long - although he does have the occasional day when he seems perkier than most days.

At this time, Billy has been placed on a medical hold and is not available for adoption.

Please say a prayer for Billy. He is such a sweet boy who has been through so many traumas and he deserves every chance at a wonderful forever life.

Boston Buddies was contacted by one of our wonderful past adopters about giving Billy a forever home. They were looking for a lap dog to spend the day with their mother and thought Billy sounded like a wonderful match. When their mother heard his story and saw his picture she said, "Well how can we possibly say no?" Billy is still battling some health issues and will be going in for even more tests, but his new family says he has a good, safe and warm lap to sit in and next to for the rest of his days.

Hi all. I thought I would give you a little update on Billy. He came home yesterday, met everyone, ate, drank, went potty and went to sleep with me and Buttercup. Today he went to school and was loved by all! He slept all day, not a good thing to do at school but whatcha ya gonna do!! He came home and walked around the yard several times, ate, drank and went potty again. Big day for the little man. He is sleeping out with the rest of the pack. Buttercup seems happy to have someone her size to hang out with. He goes back to the vet tomorrow so say a prayer for Billy. He has had a rough life but no more.

With heavy hearts and tears in our eyes, we share the sad news that Billy lost his valiant fight and made his journey across the Rainbow Bridge this morning. His adoptive mom held him in her arms and rocked him while he passed peacefully from this world.

Sadie was adopted by the most special couple who just looooove her!!! Sadie and the three cats in her new home are doing great. Sadie and her new Schnauzer sister are playing together and going everywhere with their dad. Sadie is super affectionate. Her new family says they could not have asked for a better dog!

Treating Sadie's epilepsy is neither difficult nor expensive - and she rarely has seizures now that her medication has been stabilized.

Sadie loves being around other dogs. Sadie is house trained and doggie door trained. Sadie weighs about 35 lbs. and has the most gorgeous, soft fawn and white coat and mesmerizing golden brown eyes. She attracts quite a bit of attention when out on the town. Sadie likes to be with her foster mom as much as possible and would like to have a home where someone is around most of the time. Sadie loves belly rubs, loves to run and loves her long walks. She loves her plush toys and her tennis balls as well as her nylabones.

If you can provide Sadie with a loving home and can give her the attention she so desires, please download an Application and let us know you are interested in Sadie! Sadie says thanks!

Since Sadie has been in rescue we've all tried to figure out what her specific mix of breeds was. She always attracts so much attention when she goes out in public and people are always asking what she is.

When her original owners first contacted Boston Buddies they told us she was a Boston Terrier/English Bulldog mix - but we weren't so sure that was correct as we weren't seeing a lot of English Bulldog in her.

When we were offered the opportunity to conduct a Mars Wisdom Panel DNA test on Sadie at no cost to Boston Buddies we decided to try it out. The results are amazing - the test shows that Sadie is a Boston Terrier/Rhodesian Ridgeback mixed breed dog! So now when she is out in public and someone asks we can say without hesitation that

Rosie was adopted by a wonderful family near the beach who are just loving her to bits! Rosie is spending her days at the beach and the dog park or just cruising around town with her family and enjoying life. Her days in the shelter are long behind her and she is loving life to the fullest! Her forever family has changed her name to Mousse (as in Pampelmousse) and think she is just the best most wonderful dog in the world!

Rosie is a three month old mix who came into the shelter with a broken leg after being hit by a car. Rosie had to stay at the shelter with her broken leg during the mandatory holding period for a stray dog and the shelter tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Once her hold period at the shelter expired, the rescue coordinator called Boston Buddies and asked if we could help Rosie as they could not adopt her out to the public in her condition and they did not have the resources to repair or amputate the leg. Of course Boston Buddies said yes and bailed Rosie out – all 8 lbs. of her! Boston Buddies immediately took Rosie to an orthopedic surgeon who spent hours in surgery reconstructing her leg, including the insertion of a (very expensive!) metal plate to hold her tender young bones together! Rosie is currently recuperating from her surgery and sporting a fantastic pink cast. Her surgeon is confident that she will completely recover. Rosie would love to be able to play with the other dogs in her foster home, but for now she is content to take long naps on the soft, cozy blankets at her foster home and strut around the house in her fabulous pink cast. Young Rosie is currently looking for a forever home. If you are interested in Rosie, please download an Application

Update February 8: Rosie is doing great!!! She has had her pretty pink cast removed and the orthopedic surgeon is very pleased with her progress. She still needs to take it easy to allow her bones to heal - but she is ready for her new forever home! Here are some new photos of Ravishing Rosie

Update March 3: Rosie is now completely healed and ready to go to her own forever home. Rosie really isn't a Special Needs Buddy anymore! She has gained a few pounds during her time in rescue and now weighs all of 10 lbs!! All of the volunteers who meet her can't believe she has not been adopted yet as she is just absolutely adorable!

Download an Application and let us know that you are interested in Ravishing Rosie!!!!

Frankie is a 15 lb., red (liver) and white Boston terrier who was abandoned at the Kern County shelter in early December suffering from bloody diarrhea and what appeared to be serious injuries to his eyes. The shelter called Boston Buddies and asked us to take him into rescue as they could not release him for public adoption in his condition. When our volunteer showed up at the shelter he was not prepared for the condition in which he would find Frankie. Frankie’s eyes were cloudy and painful and his back end was swollen and covered in bloody diarrhea that had become infested with maggots. But even in this condition, Frankie greeted our volunteer with a wiggle in his butt and a spring in his step – he was so happy to be out of the cold, frightening shelter and into a warm car for his ride to safety. Frankie spent his first night with Boston Buddies at the emergency vet where he was diagnosed with a prolapsed rectum. His eyes were so cloudy that the e-vet could not really decipher what was wrong with them.

Boston Buddies took Frankie to a specialty surgeon where he was diagnosed with bilateral perineal hernias – a condition in which internal organs (small intestine, rectum, prostate or bladder) are displaced into the region around the anus called the perineum. The vast majority of perineal hernias are seen in intact male dogs (most often those with short tails) – and Frankie was not neutered. Boston Buddies had surgery performed to repair the hernias (with a neuter performed at the same time!) and Frankie came to his foster home wearing a big cone with two big incisions on his rear end! While Frankie recuperated from his hernia surgery he went to see a veterinary ophthalmologist where he was diagnosed with chronic dry eye in both of his eyes. Because his eyes were not producing enough tears, each time he blinked his eyes it felt like sandpaper was rubbing on his eyeball! The ophthalmologist prescribed some ointments and drops and we could tell that Frankie’s eyes felt much better almost immediately.

Frankie has healed from his hernia surgery and with the continued use of his eye ointments and drops his tear production is now normal. Frankie is a delightful, young (about 2 years old), happy boy who likes nothing better than to go for a walk, chew on his nyla toys and snuggle up next to you at night (or whenever you will let him hop onto your lap). Frankie is a “handy” size at only 15 lbs. His favorite spot of all is curled up on the bed with his nose buried in the crook of his foster mom’s arm – Frankie lets out a little sigh of happiness when he gets some “Mom time.” Frankie greets everyone with his signature “butt wiggle and dance” and truly touches the hearts of all he meets. You can’t help but laugh and smile when he comes up to say hello. And he’ll spin in circles and jump for joy if you ask him if he wants a “salmon snack.” Frankie loves to be around people and other dogs – we don’t know about cats but we can always try!

While Frankie’s incisions have healed and the hernias are repaired, Frankie still has some issues with fecal incontinence. Frankie is not in any pain, but at this time he has limited reflexes in his sphincter muscles. Frankie is housebroken with respect to urine, and he does go outside to do his business but he will occasionally drop small pieces of poop without knowing it. The doctors are not sure whether he will gain more control over time – they say it can take up to six months for the nerves and muscles involved in the area operated on to recover and he just had his surgery in December. Boston Buddies is looking for that special person or family that can provide Frankie with the love and kindness he deserves and is willing to work with his special needs. Caring for a special needs dog is a richly rewarding experience. We want Frankie to be a true member of the family and not be punished or made to feel bad for things over which he has no control. Frankie cannot be kept as an outside dog – Bostons are not built to withstand temperature extremes and are extremely susceptible to overheating and exposure. So we are looking for a home that is set up to meet the needs of a special needs pet. Is caring for a special needs dog your calling? Are you the right home for Frankie? Please download an Application and make sure you let us know on your Application that you are interested in being considered as Frankie’s special forever home.

Frankie has been adopted by a wonderful family in Southern California that has Bostons, including another special needs Boston. Frankie met his new family and within minutes was running around exploring and playing with his new Boston sisters!

We knew before Dart came to Boston Buddies from a shelter down in San Diego that he had a case of mange, but we had no idea how bad it was until we met him in person. Dart was diagnosed with demodectic mange – a skin disease caused by a proliferation of demodex mites. Demodectic mange is not contagious but left untreated the skin becomes infected and open sores develop. Stress (both physiological and psychological) can also make the condition worse. Dart’s mange had gone untreated for far too long and being stuck in the shelter did not help. Luckily, mange is a very treatable condition and the minute he arrived in Boston Buddies care Dart was started on oral ivermectin, a medicated shampoo, good quality food and extra vitamins. In just three short weeks you can see the progress he made!

While he is well on his way to complete recovery, Dart is looking for a forever home. Dart is only about one year old and weighs just 16 lbs. He is dog friendly and has been working diligently on his housebreaking skills.

Dart has been adopted by a fabulous family who have fallen head over heels in love with him. They have changed his name to Brock

and take him everywhere they go so he is meeting and greeting the public every chance he gets and giving out lots of kisses!

Brock's new family has signed him up for classes at their local PetCo where we are sure he will be a star pupil!!

Lexi came into the same Kern County shelter as Frankie was in with an untreated case of mange. Her body was covered with sores and what was left of her fur was very thin. The rescue coordinator at Kern asked if we could help Lexi as soon as she was available to leave the shelter. One of our fabulous volunteers was there first thing on that day and whisked Lexi out of the shelter and took her home where she has been showering Lexi with love. Lexi spent the first few days snuggled up and snoozing – deeply content to know that she had been saved.

Lexi has just seen the vet and has been started on a course of oral ivermectin, antibiotics for skin infection and some medicated baths. Her foster mom is feeding her a healthy diet and we are sure that in no time she will be as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside.

Lexi is a young girl, we think around one year old, and she only weighs 11 lbs, but she can stand to gain a few pounds. Her foster mom sent these new photos of her (she put a sweater on her so she could play outside without getting cold). Isn't she adorable?

Update February 9: Lexi's foster mom reports that Lexi is improving immensely! She is a spunky little thing who loves nothing more than playing and jumping into the closest lap for some snuggle time. Her skin condition is vastly improved as well. Lexi is quickly developing a fan base in her foster neighborhood, saying hi and making friends with all the other dogs she meets. Lexi's foster mom sent this photo - its a bit fuzzy, but you can see how much brighter her eyes are and her skin is well on its way to recovery (we are sure her fur is soon to follow!)

Lexi has found her forever home with a fantastic family who is loving her to bits. They are in love with her wonderful personality! Lexi is still being treated for her mange, but she has made such tremendous progress!

Lexi's new family just wrote to let us know how much fun Lexi and her new Boston sister, Sadie, are having. Lexi is still being treated for man

ge but she is looking and feeling so much better they are hopeful that at her next vet visit the skin scrape will be negative. Lexi and Sadie are best of friends and play, play, play all day long and still have energy to go for a walk in the afternoon! Here are a few pictures of Lexi (and one with her sister Sadie) in her new life!

Nicky was in the same shelter at the same time as Rosie. Like Dart and Lexi, she came into the shelter with a severe case of mange that had been left untreated. Her skin was erupting with oozing wounds and crusty scabs and she was infested with mange mites. The rescue coordinator asked Boston Buddies to take Nicky and get her the medical attention she needed – and of course we did! Her photo does not reveal just how much of her fur is gone. But she is now under the care of our wonderful rescue vet and being treated with oral ivermectin, a good healthy diet, extra vitamins to boost her immune system and medicated baths. We are positive that in no time at all she will be sporting a brand new soft shiny red and white coat! Nicky is only a year old and weighs just 14 lbs. She is looking for a forever home where she can receive the TLC she needs and be loved and cherished as the special girl she is.

Nicky has been adopted by a wonderful family in Simi Valley who are showering her with love and attention. They love her to pieces!

Betty came to Boston Buddies from a shelter in Fresno. She had clearly been used to breed puppies and had been discarded like a piece of garbage when she was no longer useful to the breeder. The shelter asked rescue to take her and when Betty arrived at Boston Buddies she full of tapeworms and had a nice case of kennel cough. In addition, when our volunteer first met her she knew something was also wrong with her eyes. Boston Buddies treated the kennel cough and tapeworms but when we took Betty to the ophthalmologist they took her right into emergency surgery as one of her eyes had ruptured and the other one had a severe ulceration and was in danger of rupturing. While on the operating table her heart stopped but luckily the surgical staff was able to revive her. She was taken to emergency care for observation and also seen by a cardiologist to rule out anything wrong with her heart. Betty is still under the care of the ophthalmologist but her eyes are healing. The best news of all is that Betty has been adopted by a wonderful family who is committed to continuing her eye care and providing her with a forever home where she can snuggle up to her heart’s content.

In September and October of 2007 Boston Buddies held a special fundraising drive to raise money for Amy and Ben, two Special Needs Buddies that came into rescue with very special medical needs.

A generous donor agreed to match donations made for Amy and Ben before October 15, 2007 dollar for dollar up to $5,000. As each day went by and the donations continued to come in, many accompanied by touching cards and notes, we marveled at the outpouring of support for these two special dogs. The final tally of donations made as of October 15, 2007 was $4,620.41. And even though we did not raise the entire $5,000 prior to end of the donation drive on October 15, the matching donor made a $5,000 donation anyway, so total funds raised was a fantastic $9,620.41.

On August 10, 2007, Boston Buddies got a call from the Central California SPCA in Fresno about a Boston mix that had been at their shelter since July 30. The dog had come in to the shelter as a stray, wearing a thin red nylon collar with a tag that read “Amy.” The shelter estimated that Amy was only about 7 years old but she was scheduled for euthanasia because the shelter said she had a large growth on her lower abdomen and they had deemed her unadoptable. Boston Buddies committed to taking Amy into our rescue program sight unseen. Imagine our surprise when our volunteer picked Amy up in Fresno and saw that she was a darling 14 lb. black and white Chihuahua mix! But at that point in time it did not matter – Boston Buddies had committed to saving Amy from certain euthanasia and our volunteer scooped her up to safety!

Amy did indeed have a large mass on her abdomen, as well as a hacking cough! Amy was taken directly to our vet where she was given the royal treatment – full health exam, complete blood panel, spay, vaccinations, microchip, heartworm test, fecal test and removal of the growth from her abdomen. Amy was put on antibiotics for her cough and spent some time recuperating from her surgeries in the vet’s office. The “growth” on her abdomen turned out to be a hernia and now that it has been repaired no follow up treatment is necessary. Once Amy was feeling better she was moved to a cage free boarding facility that Boston Buddies uses when we have no foster homes available. Amy got along just fine with all the dogs at the boarding facility, but somehow in all the fun and games she ended up with a scratch on her eye that required a trip to the ophthalmologist and some additional medications to help the eye heal.

Luckily for Amy, a foster home in San Diego came available and she went to stay with the Edwards, a wonderful family who had previously adopted Owen from Boston Buddies (those of you who have last year’s Boston Buddies’ Calendar might recognize Owen’s name – he is Mr. February - 2006). Amy’s foster mom and dad noticed that she had some difficulty going up and down stairs so when they took her into the vet for a check up on her eye (which is now healed) they asked the vet to take a look at her legs. Amy was diagnosed with luxating patellas. A second opinion and x-rays confirmed that Amy had a grade 4 luxating patella in one leg and a high grade 3 luxating patella in the other leg. Amy underwent a second round of surgeries – this time to fix both her luxating patellas. Amy is back with her foster family in San Diego who have generously volunteered to help her through her recovery period. Amy is currently wrapped up in purple bandages – her foster mom tells her they are purple because that is a royal color fit for the princess that she is! Amy is on strict orders from the orthopedic vet to remain quiet – no running, no walking, no playing, no nothing – and from the following message we received from Amy it seems her foster family is following doctor’s orders!

When you pulled me out of that shelter, I thought you said I was being rescued. Well, you should know that the Edwards family is making me stay in my crate! For a special treat, they put me in a laundry basket!!! The only thing I get to do for fun is eat, drink water, and get carried out to the backyard to relieve myself. I can only sit and watch while the head family dog, Owen, plays tug or runs around. When I show a little initiative and stand up in my crate or— ahem—laundry basket, someone always gets upset and says, "Amy, sit!" I have tried whimpering pitifully, but they still won't let me come out and play.

Amy’s foster family reports that she is friendly and sweet and loves to have her neck scratched. She is housebroken, sleeps through the night without snoring and does not wake you up until you are ready. She doesn’t jump on company or bark (except at potential burglars). Amy also has excellent hearing as she can hear the refrigerator door open from the other end of the house! Before her surgery required her to be confined to let her legs heal, Amy would stand quietly by your side, helping you with whatever you are doing. She always has a wag in her tail for you. Whenever you feel like holding her, she is happy to oblige. She is the perfect weight to carry around, and, oh yes, she smells really sweet.

Everyone she meets falls in love with her – and several people even think they see some Boston in her. Whether Amy is or isn’t a Boston mix – she is absolutely a Boston Buddies dog and we are happy that we were able to help save her life! She is quite simply Amazing Amy!

Update September 19, 2007 - Amy is scheduled to go the vet for a follow up visit and to have her bandages removed on Saturday, September 22, 2007. And then, Amy's foster family is bringing her to the Tea Party in Huntington Beach that same day - so if you are at the Tea Party make sure you stop and say hello to Amy!

As you can see, Amy went to the 2007 Boston Buddies Tea Party in Huntington Beach last Saturday! Amy came with her infamous laundry basket and a fabulous sign that said "Free Amy From Her Laundry Basket." Amy sat patiently during the day, greeting her fans and making new friends. Her foster brother Owen also attended and was a perfect gentleman, allowing Amy to bask in the limelight. At the end of the day Amy's foster family presented her with a brand new Holly McClain collar they bid on and won for her at the Silent Auction - don't you think she looks beautiful?

Before Amy got to the Tea Party she stopped off to see her favorite orthopedic surgeon, Dr. K at Back Bay Vet Hospital, for a follow up exam. Great news - Dr. K was pleased with Amy's progress and he removed her bandages and gave her the thumbs up for limited activity! She still cannot jump, run or go up and down stairs, but she is now free from her laundry basket!! Her foster family reports that she is feeling so good she is perhaps a bit more wiggly and bouncy than she should be!!! Her foster dad spent Sunday morning fabricating little wooden barriers at the top and bottom of all the stairs in their house so that Amy won't violate Dr. K's orders!

Update October 3, 2007 - Amy's Foster mom went back to teaching last week and Amy is learning to adjust to some time on her own and out of the spotlight. She put up a bit of a fuss the first few days - but she thought her Foster mom's suggestion that she use the quiet time each day (really only four hours a day) to catch up on her beauty sleep was a good one - so Amy is resting and relaxing during the day.

She continues to heal and is doing so well - we just know we will see her prancing down the street next to her foster brother Owen very soon!

Update October 26, 2007 - Great news for Amy!! She has been adopted by a wonderful family and is now in her forever home where we are certain that she will be pampered like the Princess she is!

Amy has continued to do wonderfully well in her rehabilitation. She is scheduled to see Dr. K for a follow up visit on November 3. Her family reports that she has worked her way up to a mile long walk - leading the pack along the way!

Amy had a bit of excitement this past week - she and her family were evacuated during the Southern California brush fires and spent a few days with relatives. During her time away from home Amy met a cat and was a perfectly behaved little girl - except for scarfing down the cat's food every chance she got! Thankfully, Amy and her family were allowed back home and all were safe and sound.

And Amy has asked us to include her thank you note to all who contributed to her care:

I feel like personally licking every one of the writers of those cards and letters right on their sweet faces! Despite the fact that I am a princess, I have never in my long life been accorded this sort of recognition. Since I cannot lick everyone's face, I hope you will convey my gratitude to all my supporters. Thank you! It feels fabulous to be out of the laundry basket!

Ben was brought to the Downey shelter on September 9, 2007 by a kind hearted soul who found him lying at the side of the road unable to stand or walk, in horrible pain and great distress. We think Ben was hit by a car, but we will never know for sure what horrific experience resulted in Ben’s injuries. The minute Boston Buddies saw him we contacted the shelter and with their help we bailed him out and got him to the vet. When our volunteer arrived at the shelter she was taken to the medical ward in the back of the shelter. Walking up to the cage where he was being kept, all she could see was a small black dog curled up in pain with his back to the front of the cage. She gingerly took Ben out of his cage and carried him outside to the grass, putting him down to allow him to relieve himself – but Ben could not even stand up and just fell over on his side. She picked him up and put him in her car for the ride to the vet. During the drive, Ben curled up in the towel on our volunteer’s front seat, unable to move and quivering in pain, but somehow aware that he was safe and would soon be taken care of . When Ben arrived at our vet his condition and injuries were immediately addressed. Ben has had major orthopedic surgery to repair multiple fractures in both hips and a severely broken back left leg. Ben’s injuries to his left leg required the surgeon to use a steel plate to put him back together again.

Ben is currently still at the vet’s office were he is being monitored and kept comfortable during the first few days after his surgery. Ben is scheduled to go to a foster home on Monday, September 17, with Jan, a wonderful foster mom who took care of Quincy for the past two years – Quincy was a special Boston Buddies boy who was diagnosed with leukemia and Jan helped him get through chemotherapy treatment for his cancer. Quincy just recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Ben will need to find another foster home in a few weeks as Jan is going away for a month starting September 24, 2007.

Ben also has an old eye injury that was never addressed and the eye has shrunk in its socket – we will take him to the veterinary ophthalmologist for an examination of his eye and treatment as soon as he is recovered from his orthopedic surgeries. If necessary, we will also have him assessed by a veterinary neurologist, but we are all hoping that the repair of his bones will be all it takes to get him walking again.

Ben has only been with Boston Buddies a few short days and most of those have been in a drug induced haze so we don’t know much about his personality. But so far he has been a cooperative patient.

To date, Boston Buddies has spent over $3,500 in vet fees for Ben – and he still needs to see the ophthalmologist and possibly the veterinary neurologist.

Update September 19, 2007 - Ben has been making wonderful progress during the last 9 days. The orthopedic vet decided that he should stay at the vet's office for another week to insure that he remains quiet so he did not go to a foster home just yet. We are hoping that the vet will give us the all clear and that Ben will be able to get into a foster home next week. The good news is that Ben has been able to stand up for short periods of time! It is still early in his recovery process but we are all hopeful for an excellent outcome for Ben!

Ben is making wonderful progress! When Rachael went to visit him today he stood up in his kennel and started dancing on his feet. When Rachael opened up the kennel door he even took a few steps - Rachael says even with the big cast on his left leg he was ready to take off down the hallway! And even better news for Ben - he was able to have his e-collar removed so he doesn't look like he is wearing a satellite dish anymore!

Update September 27, 2007 - Ben continues to make great progress. A few days ago he had his sutures removed and he is full of that young Boston energy we all know and love. They are allowing him some limited movement in the exercise yard at the vet's office - Ben seems to think he has been on restricted activity long enough and is ready for a big run around the block - but Dr. K says it is still way too soon for him to be moving around that much! We hope to have Ben into a foster home later this week where he can continue his recuperation in a home environment and receive a lot of one on one attention and TLC. We also hope to get him in to see the ophthalmologist in the next week or so to address his old eye injury. Check back soon as we should be receiving updated photos of Ben today or tomorrow!

Great News! Ben has been released from the vet's office and is now at one of our favorite cage free boarding facilities - Dog Park Inn in Santa Ana Heights - The Dog Park Inn - where he will continue his recovery. Dog Park Inn is a family run boarding facility where the owners live on the premises and care for the dogs. They took excellent care of Abigail and her puppies earlier this year and have looked after a number of Boston Buddies dogs. Ben will be well taken care of here and he will remain close to Dr K at Back Bay Vet for his follow up exams and close to Eye Care for Animals in Tustin while we take care of his eye.

Ben has already made himself at home, curling up on the owner's lap and taking a snooze. The whole family is excited to have him as their special guest and can't wait to give him the TLC he needs. Here is Ben taking a tour of the place - LOOK he is standing up!!!!!!

Ben can't wait until he can go out in the yard and play with all the other dogs. But Dr. K says he still needs to take it easy. You can see he is a bit on the thin side, but now that he is in less pain he is eating well and we are sure he will be putting on weight soon. Check back soon for more updates!

Ben went to see the veterinary Ophthalmologist at Eye Care for Animals in Tustin yesterday. As you can see in the photo, he is standing and walking a little bit. Being the young Boston boy that he is, he really wanted to play with the other dogs in the waiting room!

The consensus with the various doctors who have seen Ben is that he suffered a severe trauma to the left side of his body - most likely from being hit a by a car. His left leg was severely broken and his left eye was permanently damaged from the blow. Ben has no sight in his left eye and will need to have the left eye removed. The ophthalmologist recommended that we give Ben some time to recover a bit more from his orthopedic surgery and that we let him gain a few pounds before we do the eye removal. The estimate for the eye removal ranges from a low of $855 to a high of $1,217.

The great news is that Ben is doing wonderfully well - he is standing and walking and his foster family is helping him in his recovery by giving him four massage sessions a day on his back legs - Ben thinks he could get used to that!!!

Update October 26, 2007 - Ben continues his recovery at Dog Park Inn. He is gaining weight and will soon be ready for his surgery to remove his damaged eye. Ben is enjoying the special attention and daily massages he gets from Merlaina and Bob - he seems to think that makes him King of the Inn! Ben is putting more weight on his back legs every day and can be seen running around the yard on the YouTube video link in his page on Petfinder and Save A Pet - we encourage you to visit! Even though Ben still needs his eye surgery, Boston Buddies has added Ben to our list of Adoptable Dogs. Boston Buddies will pay for the eye surgery, but if you have the time and love to give to Ben and can provide him with the care and recuperation from his eye surgery please fill out an Adoption Application and submit it soon. We are going to be looking for that extra special home for this extra special boy!

Update December 5, 2007 - A lot has happened in Ben's life the past few weeks. On November 10 Ben went to his forever home where he is being spoiled. Once he was settled into his new home, they took him to see the eye doctor about his eye. Here is the update we received after that visit:

I took Ben to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Sorrento Valley yesterday and consulted with Dr. Basher regarding the removal of Ben's left eye. I was very impressed with Dr. Basher's "bedside manner." I had a list of questions to ask him and it was as if Ben and I were the only concern he had at that moment. He stated that the eye would need to be removed due to potential health issues that could arise if the eye was left as is and that there was no hurry, but within the next month or two would be best.

Ben is doing fine. What a joy he is! Sweet doesn't even begin to describe his personality. He's very intelligent and loving; a true cuddler. Jim and I are so happy to have him in the family. He has his cousin Maxx to play with and the neighbors two dogs. He and the cat have come to an understanding......they ignore each other. Then there's my Mom who's 85 years old. Ben can do no wrong in her eyes. She loves on him and cuddles with him. Ben goes nuts when we pull up to her house. He knows Grandma with shower him with attention. She's got more toys at her house than we do at ours (lol). Ben's leg is coming along better than expected. I doubt it'll ever be 100%, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

Ben went in on December 4 to have his eye removed and here is the report from his new mom:

I wanted to let you know that Ben had his surgery today. I just got off the phone with Dr. Basher and he said all went well and that Ben was awake and doing fine. I'll pick him up tomorrow mid-morning.

He's truly a shining star in our life. Jim and Ben are inseparable on the weekends, He takes the little guy with him everywhere. Jim calls him Big Ben. Ben knows when Jim starts up the driveway during the work week and goes nuts at the front door! They have this greeting ritual. During the week when he's home with me we either go see his cousin, Maxx or Maxx comes over the visit. Maxx is a Border Collie mix with a whole lot of energy so it's a good match.

We are all so happy that Ben has found his forever home and is being loved to no end. Ben is truly a miracle dog and he deserves the best that life has to offer - and by all reports he is getting it!!