Tag: st. louis english bulldog rescue

Happily Ever After Stories

Happily Ever After: Baby Bear and the Howarth Family

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Once upon a time, Donna and Mike Howarth had an English bulldog named Rosie. When she passed away after 14 years, the Howarths donated all of her dog supplies to St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue, including several beds. Donna had been following the rescue’s Facebook page, browsing the dogs as they came in and were being adopted. In April of last year, she saw the rescue had taken in two dogs that were sick.

“I saw a photo and thought, ‘Hey, that looks like Rosie’s old bed!’” Donna says.

St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue’s president, Diana Engeszer, commented on a Facebook note to that effect, saying that indeed it was. The dog in the bed was Baby Bear, a pup that was dumped in Crestwood at the abandoned mall. Animal control was going to euthanize him, and he had pneumonia and skin issues.

“But that bed was an instant connection,” Donna recalls. “[Engeszer] said he was ready for adoption, and I said I’d like to be his mom.”

Mike had been wanting another bulldog, so the couple filled out an application, and Engeszer brought Baby Bear out to see them that same weekend. Mike and Donna had gone out and bought the supplies they’d need to have a dog in the house again, including a bed. They were ready when Engeszer pulled up with Baby Bear.

“He got out of the car and headed right into the house like he owned the place,” Mike says with a laugh. “He went straight to his new bed and made himself at home immediately.”

In the year the Howarths have had Baby Bear, the 5-year-old pup has continued to fit right into their lives. His health issues and allergies limit his outdoor activities, but he’s content to curl up with his people and snooze. Donna’s mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away in September, and she lost her father in April of this year. Donna and Mike spent a lot of time in the hospital and nursing home during these times, and Baby Bear got sad on those occasions when they weren’t around.

“Both my parents really loved him, and we would take him to the nursing home to visit,” Donna says. “He just comes up to anyone and lays his head on their lap and wants to be petted.”

Despite his laid-back nature, Baby Bear is a total attention hog and only wants to be petted or scratched.

“He’s happiest when we’re both there, and he’s sitting between us,” Donna says.

Mike echoes these sentiments, noting that it goes both ways.

“If you’re having a bad day or are stressed out, he’s a great comfort,” he says. “Having him around is therapeutic.”

In giving back to the rescue organization that saved him, Donna and Mike take Baby Bear to meet-and-greet events at Treats Unleashed. He’ll let anyone pet him and doesn’t take much interest in other dogs, making him the perfect greeter.

“It’s just such a blessing to have him,” Donna says. “We can’t thank [Engeszer] enough for saving his life.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Happily Ever After Stories

Happily Ever After: Elliot and the Bogunovic Family

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Once upon a time, a utility worker was turning off the water at a home and found an English bulldog alongside six pit bull terriers in deplorable condition. The worker called the police, who contacted animal control.

The bulldog, Elliot, was 2 years old at the time and weighed only 25 pounds. He was covered with plaque scabs, and his feet were swollen and infected. When the vet contacted St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue, Elliot was in danger of organ failure. The rescue organization worked with animal control and the vet to come up with the best plan for Elliot, since he couldn’t be released for 10 days. In those 10 days, however, the pup gained 8 pounds and was more alert.

Diana Engeszer of St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue said the organization had Elliot on a regimen of antibiotics, antifungal medications, medicated baths and creams for his sores. The vet believed Elliot had an extremely suppressed autoimmune system. Luckily, Treats Unleashed in Ladue donated a very expensive raw food to help stabilize Elliot.

He became healthier and was in foster care for a year. Though his various foster parents met his needs as he recovered, he still hadn’t found a forever home.

Lily Bogunovic had fostered bulldogs for the organization in the past, and after her bulldog passed away in December 2015, Bogunovic was bulldog-less. In January 2016, she agreed to foster Elliot.

“At this point, he was needing weekly baths, had allergies and was on multiple antibiotics,” she says. “I had him for a while, and I just got to the point where I wanted to keep him.”

Bogunovic says Elliot is the smartest bulldog she’s ever had. Though he has permanent scarring on his body from mange and past neglect, he’s a “happy-go-lucky dog.”

“I moved from my condo out to Chesterfield, so he now has a yard and a doggy door,” she says. “He also has a French bulldog sister!”

Bogunovic is really into CrossFit, and Elliot has sort of become the gym’s mascot. “He loves to come hang out with us, and everyone knows and loves him,” she says. “He loves to go for rides in the car.”

Once a month, Bogunovic makes his food, since his allergies don’t really allow for consumption of regular store-bought food. She also has to bathe him regularly, which is a process Elliot has come to protest.

“When he knows there’s a bath coming, he’ll lie down and roll over so it’s harder to get him to the bath,” Bogunovic says.

Though caring for Elliot’s particular needs is a little different from regular dog care, Bogunovic loves how sweet and loyal he is.

“I’m shocked he has such a lovable, friendly demeanor considering how he was treated in the past,” she says. “Rescue dogs are just so appreciative. When you save them, it bonds you immediately.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Happily Ever After Stories

Happily Ever After: Baxter and the Mayuga Family

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Once upon a time, Ed and Ann Marie Mayuga fell in love with an English bulldog named Mr. President. They had him from a puppy, and he was a “character,” Ed Mayuga says. Mr. President became a fixture in the St. Louis English bulldog meet-up groups, and everyone loved him. The Mayugas wanted Mr. President to have a friend, so they adopted a French bulldog named Popcorn.

“They were like peas in a pod,” Mayuga says.

Unfortunately, Popcorn got cancer when he was around 8 years old. The Mayugas did a lot to try to save him, but the cancer took over, and they had to put him down in September 2013.

Mr. President was lonely. He had lost his best friend.

“We knew he needed a companion,” Mayuga says. “I was on Facebook and saw that Baxter needed a foster family.”

St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue president Diana Engeszer brought Baxter over, and he and Mr. President played all afternoon. Mr. President, a senior dog by English bulldog standards, got overheated and was uncomfortable all night. The Mayugas found out the next morning that he had passed away overnight.

“We had lost two amazing dogs in 10 days,” Mayuga says.

It was a tough time for the Mayugas, but they decided to adopt Baxter. He helped them through the loss of Mr. President and Popcorn, and they even ended up adopting another bulldog: a French one named Bonaparte.

“We owe a lot to St. Louis English Bulldog Rescue,” Mayuga says. “We don’t have any children, so our dogs are our children. A lot of times, people don’t want to adopt bulldogs because they only live about 8 or 9 years and often have health problems. But we’re so grateful for ours.”

Baxter and Bonaparte are healthy and spoiled. They wear matching outfits and get to go shopping with the Mayugas. Since the couple works out of their home, the bulldogs get a lot of attention. Baxter can be a bit mischievous at times, Mayuga says.

“We have a guest bedroom with a low bed, and if the door is left open even a crack, we’ll find Baxter in there, buried under the pillows,” Mayuga says. “He makes a nest and buries himself.”

The Mayugas speak highly of bulldogs as a breed, and Ed Mayuga says they’re like “little clowns.”

“People who don’t know bulldogs often think they’re fierce,” he says. “Nothing is further from the truth. They’re sweet little lap dogs.”

Baxter certainly has his quirks. Mayuga’s parents, who are retired and live down the street, watch the dogs from time to time. Occasionally, Baxter will get to whining, and Mayuga’s parents know just what to do.

“He wants a car ride,” he says. “They’ll put him in the car and drive him in a 10-mile loop. He loves it.”

Baxter absolutely loves Ann Marie Mayuga and will follow her all over the house, her spouse says.

“If you don’t shut the bathroom door when you shower, he’ll be asleep and snoring on the bathmat when you get out,” he says.

When all is said and done, Baxter and Bonaparte make the perfect companions to the Mayugas.

“No matter how my day goes, they’re always there and so happy to see me,” Mayuga says. “Ican’t imagine life without them.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

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