How cute is this Frenchie??? If you’re looking for a French Bulldog of your own check out The French Bulldog Rescue Network.
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Five years ago my good friend Emily was on her way to school at USC when she saw a dog lying on the side of the street, under a freeway overpass. He’d clearly been hit by a car. Being dog lover, she stopped to see what she could do. With almost no help from anyone else- sadly people were literally stepping over the dog going about their business- Emily scooped him up and put him in her car. In a panic, she called me and within the hour we met at the California Animal Hospital trying to save his life.
Photo of Rusty that we sent to Dean
Coincidentally my family had lost our beloved dog Byron that very morning, and while our hearts were mourning the loss of Byron, we felt that it was Kismet finding this sweet guy. Now all we had to do is make sure he survived his injuries. After a few days in intensive care, the dog, now named Rusty made a miraculous recovery and came home to live with my parents.
After living on the streets for what must have been a while, Rusty had get over some anxieties and make some adjustments as he became a spoiled Rosenfeld dog. Rusty had never seen stairs before, had never seen his reflection in a mirror and even to this day he refuses to walk on anything but carpet. (In fact we have lovely runners throughout my parents house to accomodate his fear) But with lots of love from my parents and a few sessions with a great trainer, Rusty has now become the son my father never had.
I might be jealous if I didnt’ find it so adorable. Rusty is so connected to my father. Rusty sits and waits for him to get home, and won’t leave his side from the minute he walks in the front door until he goes to sleep.
So for my father’s birthday last year, I was lucky enough to have the most wonderful artist named Dean Russo create a Doggie Portrait of Rusty. He took the picture above and within a very short amount of time, and for a very affordable price, he created this…
Amazing Painting of Rusty (ink/acrylic on canvas)
Isn’t that amazing????? My Dad was over the moon about it, and he has proudly hung it in his study.
Dean’s work is not only gorgeous, but Dean has a huge heart. He donate his work to raise money for animal rescues on a regular basis.Go to his site, www.deanrusso.com and find out about how easy it is to get your dog’s portrait in living color!
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How can you not love a Beagle named Murphy!
What a cutie!!
OK, Murphy probably isn’t actually a purebred Beagle. He certainly looks like a Beagle, it’s just that he’s about 25% bigger than Beagles are supposed to be. While this means that he might not be able to go toe to toe with Uno (last year’s Westminster Winner) in terms of confirmation, it does mean that he offers that much more Beagle-goodness to love.
Another anomaly about Mr. Murphy is that while he is clearly a hound, he doesn’t engage in the usual Beagle/Hound behaviors such as snooping, tracking, fetching, and or really doing anything that requires much movement. In fact, according to Murphy’s very loving Daddy, Murphy is extremely LAZY and prefers to sleep at least 20 out of every 24 hours.
I met Murphy because he, like Bella, is being treated for cancer at City of Angels Veterinary Cancer Group. Gratefully Murphy’s cancer is highly treatable and he is doing extremely well with radiation.
While no one wants to have to be at the Cancer vet, I’m glad Bella and I got to meet Murphy and his Daddy. It’s always nice to see another devoted dog owner– one who is willing to go above and beyond to care for his dog; especially when it’s a rescue dog.
Bella and I send our best wishes to Murphy and his parents as they go through this challenging time!
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Bella is doing fantasticly well with her radiation treatments. You wouldn’t have known she’d even been to the vet, but for the large shaved area on her shoulder that is now adorned with a grid to help guide the radiation treatments for increased precision.
She’s had two so far (Friday and Today) and will have a daily treatments through Thursday. Reports indicate this treatment, 5 days of targeted radiation therapy, reduces pain for 2-4 months in 75% on patients. I’m hopeful we end up on good side of this average.
I am really liking the doctor treating Bella. His name is Dr. Lyons and he is very honest and realistic. As the doctor who does the Palliative Radiation treatment his main goal is often pain management; exactly my hope for Bella. Unfortunately before I got to Dr. Lyons though there was some confusion with the cost of the treatment I chose for Bella.
It has turned out to be a significant amount more than the other doctor told me in my initial consultation. While I’m happy I went ahead with the treatment anyway, I have to admit that I had a moment of panic. It’s not like the first price was so great. But what, was I going to not give Bella this treatment because of the cost difference? What kind of person does that? I kind of wanted to throw up thinking that thought, but it’s fricken 2009 of course you have to think about cost. And to make matters worse there isn’t any certainty that the treatments are even going to work.
Thankfully I do have insurace to help with at least some of the costs! Now just I wish I had more insurance… And lest I sound like a broken record… if you’re reading this and you have a pet and you haven’t gotten insurance…please… run don’t walk to get yourself some!
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Beatrice
It’s hard for me to pass by a dog and not give it kisses. Today I met Beatrice while she and her parents were having lunch at The Colony Cafe (a Love Thy Dog favorite BTW). Even though I know most pitbulls are sweet, I asked to make sure she was and indeed Beatrice was beyond sweet, she was pure Zen sweetness. Just the perfect combination of mellow and affectionate. She rolled over and showed me her belly and seemed somewhat disapointed when I had to go get my own lunch.
Beatrice was rescued from Palmdale from what was most likely not a great environment, but she thankfully doesn’t seem worse for the wear; while she’s extremely pensive, she doesn’t seem to have any edge to her at all. In fact her Daddy pointed out some scars on her head which I was expecting for him to say came from her dog fighting days, but rather they are the result of Beatrice getting beat up by their cat. Suck on that Pitbull haters!
Beatrice
Beatrice will soon be putting her Zen sweetness to good use as she is on her way to becoming a Canine Good Citizen. Having this certification, Beatrice can work as a therapy dog in hospitals schools and the like! Again, for all you pitbull haters, I challenge your dog to stand up to that test!
And one more thing, it was so cute to watch Beatrice’s family get ready to go. We were in a restaurant across the street from where they had parked. I could see that they had their car all tricked out to accomodate Beatrice. It’s a station wagon, seats down of course, equipped with one maybe two beds which they fluffed up for her, you know in case she might have a moment of discomfort! I love people who love their dogs!
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Bruce
Like so many dog owners, Bruce’s parents have tried many vets but have yet to find one they like and trust. They of course have an additional challenge that Bruce weighs over 140lbs (some vets have been freaked out by his size, others have padded costs under he guise of accounting for his size) but their experience is not unique. I get asked all the time for references. I do have a few I like here on the westside of LA, but they are pretty pricey, and often difficult to get into.
Thankfully after a frantic survey of my rescue friends, I sent Bruce and his parents to Kennedy & Pilch in the San Fernando Valley where Bruce was finally properly diagnosed with diabetes and an infection. Gratefully Bruce is being treated and should be fine.
That reference was key to helping Bruce. So, to get me ready for the next call for a vet I’d love to hear your references for a great vet.
Thanks!
Betsy & Bella
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Hello all. Bella is currently (like right now as I type) getting treated for her cancer at the highly regarded Veterinary Cancer Group at the City of Angels Veterinary Speciality Center in Culver City. The place is seriously amazing–the building is gorgeous and the treatment facility is pristine. While the vibe is very sleek and modern, there is also a warmth. The staff is nice, and there is a sense of comraderie among the patients or rather parents of the patients. We each look at eachother with a knowing smile of, oh you’re a crazy person too? Your dog is more important to you than anything else? Me TOO! I then also follow it up in my mind with the curiousity of how are you affording the many thousands of dollars this is costing? I’ll be cutting my own hair for a while and eating Macaroni & Cheese through the summer, what about you?
The treatment protocal we chose for Bella is called Palliative Radiation, meaning it’s radiation that will not shrink or stop the cancer, but rather it should ease the pain that the cancer causes. Bone tumors are insanely painful. I chose this treatment route with some trepidation and even now, after I’ve signed the consent forms and she’s already started the process, I’m still not 100% sure I made the right choice. I mean I know it’s good that this one eases her pain, but should I also be doing other treatments. But then again I’m very against putting dogs through painful treatments for only a limited chance at a normal life. In fact I overheard this one couple talking about their cat hates them because he hates getting his meds and that he is acting out in all sorts of terrible ways because the treatment he’s going through (chemo I think) is so awful. While I understand the inclination, I feel taking treatment that far becomes a selfish act.
Hopefully Bella’s path will be a lot easier. Her protocal is just 5 short treatment of radiation which are not painful and they rarely have side effects. Fingers crossed it will offer her some relief. It’s gut wrenching to see her struggle with the pain.
Talk soon,
Betsy & Bella 
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this week has not been all that fun. an mri on monday showed that bella has a tumor in a hard to reach spot under her armpit. a biopsy and ultra-sound done on wednesday confirms that it’s cancer; either a spindle cell tumor or an osteosarcoma. both are aggressive types of cancer.
i have started, stopped, erased and restarted this post at least 6 times. how do you even write about this? but when you have a blog about dogs, how do you not write about it???
ughhh. i love her. i love her more than i can easily communicate. with absolute certainty i can say she has made me the person i am today- literally. without her i wouldn’t have gotten into rescue; wouldn’t have written a book- i wouldn’t have had something to write about. she is my rock.
i am grateful for the time we have had together, and while i don’t want it to be one day shorter than it can be, i promise not to be selfish. it makes me crazy when i see people putting their dogs through hellish cancer treatments so that they live just a few more weeks. i’m a big believer in leaving the party when everyone’s having a good time.
i mean i understand the inclination to try every avenue of treatment completely. of course you want to be with your dog forever. but it can’t happen. and moreover as opposed to treating humans with disease, dogs can’t communicate in the same way. i can’t exactly ask bella what she wants. so then it’s back to me making decision for her which can be confusing. am i making the right decisions. is this for her or for me or…or…or. UGH!
so before i spin out of control, i come back to this. i love her and i know her. we have had a good ride and hopefully i’ll know when it’s time to let go. i won’t be happy about it, but it will be right.
in the meantime send your good thoughts to bella for her days to be happy and as pain free as possible.
hugs
bella & betsy
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