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Friends of Ema

Our grateful thanks to all of the following friends of Ema, who have made her upcoming surgery possible. It’s simply been overwhelming how many people have reached out to help one tiny little dog.

By the way, I’m attempting to keep this list as current as possible, but please forgive me if I’ve missed you – it was not intentional.

We have good news – Ema’s surgery date has been moved up even closer, to October 20th. She goes in at noon on the 19th for pre surgical consultation, and then surgery on the 20th. This was made possible by the family of a Bulldog who was originally scheduled for the same day, for the same procedure, but agreed to swap dates with Ema, since her condition is more severe. Yet more proof – Bully people ROCK.

– Carol, Ema, ECFBC Rescue and the French Bulldog Village

Friends of Ema
Jessica Lambrecht
Erica Schlaug
Sean Galbraith
Carrie Alongi
Hope Saidel
Beth Thornton
da hinton
Lori Kobayashi
Cindy Caldwell
Glenda Hertzman
Rosemarie Chalker
Karla K. Akins
Kristina Stratton
Sarah Freeman
Michael Hanscom
Penelope Schenk
Daniel Herrera
Keith Daniels
Susan Rosenau
Michelle Lewis
Diggity Dog Kennels-Gnosticfire Farm
Lucy Henderson
ashleigh spurlock
BECKY L WIRTA
David Mercaldi
Scott Nygren
Joseph Lau
Jill Sokol
Andrea Morden-Moore
Joyce Mitchell
Laura Fisher
Meghan Williams
Cornelis Kerkhoven
Ember McLeod
Steve Hallman
Karen Anderson
Peggy Gallerno
Elsie Kolb
kimberly rice
Dane Bailey
Glenn Forrester
Ellen Sard
Karen Tucker
Christine Towner
Brenda Comeau-Watson
Melissa Bowersock
Jill Salmon
norma toraya
Angela Kelly
Shannon D Tuttle
Angelique Faustino
Alicia McDaniel
Maria McKenzie
Cindy Victor
Diana Dekle
Rebecca Wallace
Susan Riley
Julie Grund
SarahMalia Barbusca
Jay Joseph
Diane Dickins
Richard Rockford
Jeremy Shockley
James Phillips
da hinton
Melody Gonzalez
Gloria Jill Fraser
Breanne Maier
Flo Leung
Nancie Lillie
Melissa Schue
Matthew Pascale
Jennifer Bender
Cynthia Vreeland
Jocelyne Mangubat Vega
Melissa Myer
Jonathan Russell
Brian Callahan
Donald Carron
Kristine Logan
stephanie abbott
Melissa Goldberg
Sue Williams
Elizabeth Pendergast
carol watson
S. Forest King
Kim Jacoby
Bryan Kuppers
betty nguyen
Susan Snider
Whitney Kratsas
Rachel Tennant
Karen Bringol
RMR EMPIRE DISTRIBUTION LLC
Susan Koshoshek
Susan Rosenau
Nicole Sellers
Vicki Bouchillon
Alissa Gordon
Lisa Ricciotti
JESSICA HSIA
Jennifer Vodvarka
Jason LaChappelle
Theresa Wates
Brynn Dooley
Katherine Deveau
Marcy M Einarsson
Lisa Goetz

Giving Thanks

Ema and Jake in the fall leaves

Ema and Jake in the fall leaves

An upate: Ema has a surgery date – October 27th! I am especially thankful for this, and I’m trying to think of the two week waiting period as a time of reflection and grace.

I have numerous things that I am thankful for every day, but this year seems especially poignant to me, because this year I have Ema.

I am thankful that Ema’s original owner was willing to turn her over to rescue. I am thankful that he reached out to us, that he was willing to take the time to search for us on the internet, make contact, and to allow us to take custody of her. I am thankful to everyone who reaches out and asks for help from a rescue, rather than just dumping their pet at a shelter, or selling them on Kijiji.

I am thankful to Eva, who drove across country, seventeen hours each way, to rescue a puppy she had never met at the request of people she didn’t know. Eva is testimony to the power that the internet can have to be so much more than just entertainment – she is testament to how we are all building communities, making bonds and even sometimes making a difference. I am thankful to every rescue volunteer who has ever offered to drive, foster or care for a dog in need.

I am thankful to Ema’s first veterinarian, Dr. Melissa Boyle, who knew enough to say to us “I don’t know what’s wrong with Ema – let’s send her to someone who can help”. In a time when so much of what we read about veterinarians is dismissive, or accuses them of being money hungry,  Vets like Melissa restore my faith in the veterinary profession.

I am thankful for Dr. Minors, another veterinarian who gave of her time and her expertise to help Ema, and who gave us answers to the hard questions about her health and her heart. I am thankful, even more so, for Dr. Minors’ willingness to donate her time to Ema, when she didn’t have to and wasn’t even asked to. I will remember Dr. Minors everytime someone tells me that all vets are just mercenary opportunists, and I will be thankful that I know this isn’t true.

I am so very, very thankful to every single person who donated towards Ema’s care. Without you, I wouldn’t be sitting here anticipating Ema’s surgical date – instead, I’d be sitting here worrying about whether or not we could afford to pay for it. I am thankful to all of those people who said “I wish I could send more”. I am thankful to every child who said “this is my allowance, for Ema”. I am thankful to everyone who said “I want to help to save her”. We are told, every day, that the internet is making us all more distant, that it has made us lose our sense of community. I don’t believe that, and I don’t think you should, either.

I am thankful to every blogger and Facebook friend who helped me to share Ema’s story, and who keep up the good fight for all of the dogs in need. Sometimes you might think “I can’t do anything to help rescue”, but every time you share a story, tweet about a dog in need, write about a rescue fundraiser and help us to get the word out there, you ARE part of rescue, and a valuable part that I am thankful for.

I am thankful to Charlotte Creeley, and to the French Bulldog Village, for stepping up and saying “We’ll help care for Ema, if your rescue can’t afford to”. Charlotte and FBV are a beacon of hope to the French Bulldogs that would otherwise have no one to champion them. I am thankful that Charlotte is a friend to French Bulldogs, and even more thankful that she’s been a friend to me and to my dogs over all of these years.

I am thankful to Sean, who had NO idea what he was getting into when he started to date me, even after I’d warned him that the dogs come pretty much first. I am thankful that, no matter how many times I’ve said to him “We need to take care of another rescue”, he’s never said anything back to me but “How can we help?”.

I am thankful to Ema, and to every other rescue I have ever taken care of. They have taught me patience and fortitude. They have amused me, touched me, made me laugh and sometimes made me cry. They have allowed me to see the very best in people, even if it means I’ve also had to see some of the very worst. Caring for foster Frenchies is a gift, and I am thankful for it every day. They add to the joy that I get from my own dogs, and they make me even more comitted to this breed, and to the friends I have made through it.

I am thankful for time. I am thankful for every day I have with Ema, and I know every day is a gift and a blessing. I am thankful to be able to share time with Ema, and to have time with her. Ema has taught me to think in terms of moments and seconds, not weeks and years.  I am thankful for that, and I am thankful for her.

How do you mend a broken heart?

Ema the French Bulldog foster puppy needs surgery

You know you are facing something serious when your puppy is in ICU before you’ve even checked in at the front desk of the vet clinic.

We’d barely walked into the front doors of the Veterinary Referral Clinic when a passing tech took one look at Ema and shrieked “Get that collar off of that puppy!!!”. Startled, I asked why and was told, “Because she’s turning blue!”. Sighing, I said “Yes, I realize that – she’s always blue. It’s why we’re here”. I’m not sure that the tech still didn’t think I was an idiot, and she snatched up Ema and said she was taking her into the back to ICU, to put her on oxygen. I’d only just had time to agree before Ema was rushed away from me and into the back.

When I saw her again, twenty minutes later, Ema was perched on the examination table, looking just slightly more pink than she normally does. She was in the middle of a crowd of adoring techs and vets, all of whom were cooing at her. Ema tends to have that affect on people.

The diagnostic testing Dr. Minors and her staff did on Ema gave us an answer for what is wrong with her – in fact, it gave us two answers.

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A longer Ema update coming…

I had a really, really long day, but I promise a full Ema update tomorrow*, along with all of the grisly anatomical details.

For now, how about a happy photo?

Get me outta here!

It’s Pumpkin Princess Ema, saying “Enuf wit the camera – get me outta here, lady!”.

* unless I get a sudden “we can do the surgery this afternoon at 3 pm” type phone call from the University of Guelph, in which case all bets are off

Oh, and ps – don’t forget, our new surgical goal is $3800, give or take – preferably give.

Ema at the Veterinary Cardiologist

I have a long, hard story about what we learned at today’s appointment with Ema. The short story? It’s fixable – expensive, but fixable.

At the moment, however, I’m just not up to writing about it – not yet. For now, I’m just going to give you a pictorial on Ema’s appointment with Veterinary Cardiologist, Dr. Sandra Minors, at the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Referral Clinic.

Ema in the car enroute to the clinic. The resolution isn’t great, but you can sort of see the color of Ema’s tongue here – a uniform blue, almost all the time.

See the rest, after the cut – and please don’t forget to help, if you can.

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