Starla

My story

**IF THIS LISTING IS STILL POSTED THIS DOG IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. NO NEED TO EMAIL ASKING IF THE DOG IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS BIO THOROUGHLY AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY IS CONTAINED IN THIS LISTING** For Adoption: Starla! Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process. To apply for adoption and for more information on our process and requirements, visit our website at https://pounddog.ca/adoption-info/. You are about to meet the most special dog who charms everyone she comes into contact with!!! She loves all people and thinks everyone should be her best friend. This is Starla and she is a gorgeous fawn coloured Frenchie with a tiny strip of white across her neck, down her face and on her chest. She also has the most adorable dark merle ears that make her extra special! Starla is a 2 year old French Bulldog who is approximately 20 pounds. Now before we get all of the Frenchie loving people wanting to adopt, we have to stress that it is very important that anyone interested in Starla read her bio in full, as she is a special needs little gal. It's nothing that slows her down and she certainly doesn't know she is differently abled but it is something that her new family needs to embrace, manage and love her for. Sadly Starla was surrendered to a shelter. Although Starlas family loved her, they were not prepared financially for a Frenchie, which is a breed known for many medical issues. Terribly, Starla had a herniated disc injury in her back. She was paralyzed in her back end and needed a lot of management. Her owner did not opt for the surgery that could have fixed Starla and instead chose to manage her condition as best as they could. After a time, they had given up on her and surrendered her to the 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 her. We are Bulldog lovers and took her on fully prepared to schedule the back surgery we expected she would need. We were very pleased to discover upon meeting Starla for the first time that she was much more mobile than we were thinking. We got right to work on a vet visit and an appointment with a neurology specialist and were really disappointed to learn that unfortunately, too much time had passed since the disc herniated, to when we got her and the window for surgical repair had closed. Had her owner surrendered her sooner, we could have maybe helped her more, but were were told at the specialist appointment that surgery would not be the best option for her as the complications outweighed any potential for restoration. Her back end was healing itself but without that surgery, it will only heal to a certain extent, and there is a 6 mth window for this healing. Starla has a few more months of healing and we can say that she is today, happy, pain free, medication free, and able to get around very well....but ...she has reduced feeling in her back legs, particularly the left. She walks with a straight gait in the back end and her rear legs don't always know where they are going. It's more noticeable when she is walking slowly and much less noticeable when she is racing around..let me tell you, she can race around!! Starla does not need any assistance with walking and she can sit, lie down and stand all on her own. Her left leg more than her right will sometimes go in a different direction. We need a person or family who will be committed to caring for a dog that has some mobility issues. We really want to focus on all that is great about Starla as there is so much more to this little dog than her disability. Starla is a joyful clown of a dog and everything we all love about the Frenchies. She is a big cuddle bug and loves to be on your lap. She loves her walks and gets excited when you put her leash on. She is equally good on walks around the neighbourhood, on a long line out in the field or on the trails. If she is walking on cement or pavement her new people will need to keep an eye on her back legs that her paws are not dragging on the sidewalk as this can cause sores and complications from the injury. Booties or socks on her back paws can be used to protect her from this type of injury occurring. On grass or softer surfaces, this will not be necessary. Starla is great in the car and is a fantastic travel companion. We crate her in the car for her safety and she settles in quietly for the ride. She is eternally happy and always a grin on her face. She is a dog that makes people smile when they see her and she is always happy to meet a new friend. Starla will spot a person walking a block down the road, stand straight and strut towards them with her ears perked hoping she will be noticed. She will happily walk up to complete strangers for a quick nuzzle and a few ear scratches. Starla is a very social gal and thinks everyone should be her buddy. She will be your shadow in the house and follow you everywhere. Starla is good with other dogs and can nicely live with a mature , calm dog but as she gets overstimulated easily a young, playful dog would not be the right fit. It would be best for the other dog to be of similar size to her and one that would appreciate a companion but not a playmate. . Starla should not be a part of any rough house play as we need to guard against further back injury, so playing with a large dog or an excitable dog would not be in her best interest. She would be fine as an only dog in the home as well and in fact would prefer this. Starla will really enjoy being the sole recipient of all her people’s love and affections. Starla will be fine in a home with children old enough to be aware of her back injury and to be careful with her. Older children who won't topple down on top of her or push on her back would be just fine. Starla loves chewing on dog toys and playing with stuffies. Her absolute favourite toy is her ball and she enjoys pushing it around the floor towards anyone who will play. Starla would not be suited to a home with cats though as she does have a prey drive for all thing small and skittering. She likes to chase cats and would be an absolute menace to a cat in the home. Starla would like a home where she isn't left for a full work day. She is crated when we leave and does well with this, but she is only left for a few hours at a time. Starla is house-trained and goes outside for her potty breaks as part of her typical routine. She holds her bladder well and has not had any crate accidents. Watching squirrels and sunning on the deck are two of her favourite pastimes next to her toy collection. A fenced yard would be a bonus but not necessary as long as Starla goes on 5-10 minute walks a few times a day to help rebuild her muscles. We have now been given the go ahead by the neurologist to increase this to build the muscle back up in her back end. Adopters with previous French Bulldog or other Bulldog experience are preferred, as the Frenchie's are a special breed with specific needs to keep them happy and healthy. She will need to have her wrinkles cleaned on a regular basis as well as special attention to any potential allergies associated with food. She is doing well on the food she is on in our care, which is a top quality diet, and she should be kept on this. Frenchie's are prone to environmental allergies and she may need allergy meds throughout her life, although so far she has been ok. Adopters should also regularly maintain her teeth through brushing and/or dental treats. Potential adopters should be aware of possible breed specific health issues and commit to any financial needs she may have in the future to maintain her 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. Her family needs to be fully are of this and be financially able to care for anything that Starla will need in her life. Which leads us to the question, what does the future look like for Starla? This is hard for us to say exactly. Our vet has told us that there is nothing holding her 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 she have any future back issues. She still has time for her back to heal further and get more mobility, however she may never become more mobile. If she continues to get better, fantastic! However, she will likely always have a slight deficit. We can say in the time we have had her, she has strengthened and is more mobile than when we got her and she gets around just fine. If she stays as she is, that's ok. She is happy, pain free and she is mobile. Could she suffer another herniated disc? Yes, that could happen, or it won't. We don't know. But with the Frenchie's that is a risk you take. This is something they are prone to. Should this happen, she would require back surgery immediately to fix it. Her family needs to guard against this by not letting her become overweight, by keeping her lean and muscular, and by not letting her jump up on the couch or jump down from the couch, bed etc. When lifting her, support her entire back. Don't let her engage in wrestling with other dogs...just general things to keep her back safe. What we can tell you is that Starla is SOOOOOO worth the extra maintenance and care, and even that care is minimal. She is low energy in the home and super easy to have around. She likes to have a nice bed to chew her Nylabones in. She loves her naps and sometime snores a little! She follows you around the house but settles in whatever room you are in. We block off the stairs so she doesn't go up them as she would certainly try. She is quiet in the home and such an easy dog to live with. She loves cuddles and she makes us laugh at her continual antics! She 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 Starla send us in an application and be sure to tell us in there why you feel that you would be a great fit for Starla. The more you can tell us about your home, your knowledge of this breed etc, the better. We know that there are 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!! Name: Starla ID # PDR1562 Age: 2yrs Gender: female Spayed: yes UTD vaccines: yes Breed: French Bulldog Colours: fawn merle Coat length: short House trained: yes Special needs: yes, see bio OK with kids: older OK with cats: no Ok with dogs: yes, calm mature dogs Status: adoptable Microchip: yes Size: small Location: Ayr, Ont Adoption fee: $800

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Starla, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.