thedrifter
11-23-07, 08:23 AM
Chicagotribune.com
Seeking health, home for Marine's bulldog
By Wendy E. Normandy
Special to the Tribune
November 23, 2007
It was bad enough when Marine Reserve Sgt. Michael Sanchez's wife and two little boys had to say goodbye to their father when he was reactivated in October, after already serving one 10-month stint in Iraq.
But then the Melrose Park family had to place their beloved bulldog Nellie up for adoption after the couple agreed it would be too difficult for Sanchez's wife to care for the dog alone while watching over their 2- and 6-year-old sons.
"It was very hard on our 6-year-old to give the dog up, and my wife knew he would have a hard time while I was away from home for such an extended time, so she wanted to spend as much extra time with the boys as she could," said Sanchez, of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, from the base at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Sanchez, 27, couldn't bring himself to leave the 10-month-old American bulldog at a shelter. So he turned to Pawsitively Heaven Pet Resort, a boarding facility in Chicago Ridge, where owner Judi Schnur was moved by Sanchez's story.
"It just pulled at my heart that they had to give Nellie up, so I agreed to take her in here, at our facility, and promised that we would find a good home for her," Schnur said.
Placing Nellie in a new home, however, proved to be more difficult than Schnur ever imagined. Unbeknownst to Sanchez or Schnur, Nellie has hip dysplasia, a common degenerative joint disease in dogs, which caused two prospective adoptions to fall through, Schnur said. The cost of corrective surgery can run from $3,000 to $6,000, she said.
Most shelters would euthanize the dog because of the high cost of surgery, but Schnur said she is not going to give up on Nellie and plans to do whatever it takes to raise the money needed for the operation.
"While that young Marine is serving our country, I plan to fight for Nellie until we raise enough money to have her medical problems fixed," Schnur said. "And when she has recovered from her medical ordeal, someone will be very lucky to have her as a member of their family."
Although the English bulldog is a symbol of the U.S. Marines, Schnur says Nellie, an American bulldog, has all the qualities that led the Marines to choose the English bulldog as a symbol.
"She's proud, dedicated and fiercely loyal," Schnur said.
Schnur has consulted with a veterinarian at an animal hospital in Indiana who has offered to work with her to find a possible alternative to a complete hip replacement. He said there might be other surgical options available that could help keep the costs to a minimum, and another vet has offered to provide at least six rehab visits at no cost following the surgery, she said.
Once Nellie gets the operation, she shouldn't have trouble finding a home, as she's smart and playful and gets along with other dogs, Schnur said.
"It's clear she wants to romp around and run with the other dogs who stay here, but her condition slows her down quite a bit," Schnur said. "It's hard to watch her try so hard to keep up with the others."
As for children, Sanchez said he knows firsthand how good Nellie is with kids.
"We loved Nellie very much," Sanchez said, "and we often took her to a park near our house to run and play with the boys."
Contributions for Nellie's surgery can be sent to: Nellie's Fund at Archer Bank, 10659 Ridgeland Ave., Chicago Ridge, IL 60415. For further information call 708-636-3647.
Ellie
Seeking health, home for Marine's bulldog
By Wendy E. Normandy
Special to the Tribune
November 23, 2007
It was bad enough when Marine Reserve Sgt. Michael Sanchez's wife and two little boys had to say goodbye to their father when he was reactivated in October, after already serving one 10-month stint in Iraq.
But then the Melrose Park family had to place their beloved bulldog Nellie up for adoption after the couple agreed it would be too difficult for Sanchez's wife to care for the dog alone while watching over their 2- and 6-year-old sons.
"It was very hard on our 6-year-old to give the dog up, and my wife knew he would have a hard time while I was away from home for such an extended time, so she wanted to spend as much extra time with the boys as she could," said Sanchez, of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, from the base at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Sanchez, 27, couldn't bring himself to leave the 10-month-old American bulldog at a shelter. So he turned to Pawsitively Heaven Pet Resort, a boarding facility in Chicago Ridge, where owner Judi Schnur was moved by Sanchez's story.
"It just pulled at my heart that they had to give Nellie up, so I agreed to take her in here, at our facility, and promised that we would find a good home for her," Schnur said.
Placing Nellie in a new home, however, proved to be more difficult than Schnur ever imagined. Unbeknownst to Sanchez or Schnur, Nellie has hip dysplasia, a common degenerative joint disease in dogs, which caused two prospective adoptions to fall through, Schnur said. The cost of corrective surgery can run from $3,000 to $6,000, she said.
Most shelters would euthanize the dog because of the high cost of surgery, but Schnur said she is not going to give up on Nellie and plans to do whatever it takes to raise the money needed for the operation.
"While that young Marine is serving our country, I plan to fight for Nellie until we raise enough money to have her medical problems fixed," Schnur said. "And when she has recovered from her medical ordeal, someone will be very lucky to have her as a member of their family."
Although the English bulldog is a symbol of the U.S. Marines, Schnur says Nellie, an American bulldog, has all the qualities that led the Marines to choose the English bulldog as a symbol.
"She's proud, dedicated and fiercely loyal," Schnur said.
Schnur has consulted with a veterinarian at an animal hospital in Indiana who has offered to work with her to find a possible alternative to a complete hip replacement. He said there might be other surgical options available that could help keep the costs to a minimum, and another vet has offered to provide at least six rehab visits at no cost following the surgery, she said.
Once Nellie gets the operation, she shouldn't have trouble finding a home, as she's smart and playful and gets along with other dogs, Schnur said.
"It's clear she wants to romp around and run with the other dogs who stay here, but her condition slows her down quite a bit," Schnur said. "It's hard to watch her try so hard to keep up with the others."
As for children, Sanchez said he knows firsthand how good Nellie is with kids.
"We loved Nellie very much," Sanchez said, "and we often took her to a park near our house to run and play with the boys."
Contributions for Nellie's surgery can be sent to: Nellie's Fund at Archer Bank, 10659 Ridgeland Ave., Chicago Ridge, IL 60415. For further information call 708-636-3647.
Ellie