We are so happy for you and your new forever Mommie! It's been quite some time you spent with Adopt-A-Bull Rescue, but time definitely worth the wait. We knew your perfect adopter was out there and although it took a little longer for us to make the match happen for you we had to make sure you went to someone that was capable of dealing with your special needs. We are so glad you went to a local fur-ever home so we can have visitation rights! Here are some pics of Punky's last days in our rescue program:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY from the Adopt-A-Bulls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFFfR2fjlSo

Punky's Bio: Punky is officially our smallest adult rescue! She has congenital birth defects from poor breeding attempts to produce a "miniature" bulldog. She is full grown, weighs only 21 lbs, and is the size of a four month old puppy. She has skeletal malformations that make her walk funny and her left front leg is basically nonfunctional. Regardless of her condition, she is super sweet, full of life, and bounces around as happy as can be! Punky is underweight and needs to gain a few pounds. Thankfully, she tested negative for heartworm, ehrlichia, and lyme disease. We will be taking her to an orthopedic specialist for evaluation and see if anything can be done to make her front leg more functional. She doesn't appear to be in any pain from her condition and gets around really well. Since she has likely been this way since birth she doesn't know any different. Spunky Punky gets along with other dogs and does like to play, she's okay with cats, and absolutely fabulous with children of all ages! However, she is protective about her crate/bed and food around unfamiliar dogs. She probably feels she has to compensate for her small size. We feel she would do best with a submissive dog or as an only dog.

Diagnosis from Orthopedic Surgeon: Left Elbow, bilateral dislocation, complete, chronic/congenital. Right Hip: Coxofemoral subluxation (moderate/severe) with secondary degenerative joint disease (moderate). Assessment - unfortunately, there is no surgical solution for the elbow - if it ever becomes a source of discomfort, left forequarter amputation might be a future consideration. Her hips are typical for this breed, if the left becomes a significant source of discomfort, future femoral head and neck excision arthroplasty may be considered. Knees are not an issue at this time.

So basically, Punky's left front elbow is fused and though it does not help her function it doesn't impede her functions either, and because it isn't painful no amputation is necessary. She has typical hip dysplasia and surgery may be needed in the future if the condition ever becomes painful. Punky certainly knows no boundaries and she moves just as agile and fast as any other dog in the pack! She's a little package with big personality and all she needs now is tons of love, affection, and a forever family!

12-12-08 Update: Punky is doing very well & has been enjoying sleeping (and snoring!) in various spots throughout the downstairs. She certainly loves that bed of hers & drags it to all her favorite spots to take a short nap. I still haven't introduced her to the cat but am planning on trying that out sometime later in the week in order to give her a little bit more time to adjust to a new environment & allow for my cat to "de-stress" over having another dog in the house. She loves her toys. I bought her a little rag bone that is now permanently wet from all her slobber & chewing! She also responds very well to basic training. I've attached some pics of her in this email. I tried really hard to get a picture of her dragging her bed out of her crate to her favorite spot by the back porch doors but unfortunately she was a little too quick for the camera flash.

12-17-08 Update: We are doing very well! She's been doing great & seems to have adjusted well. She recently learned that she can in fact climb the stairs so we've been doing some training with teaching her to remain downstairs. It's going very very well. She also helped me put the tree up last week (and by help I mean drool on the tree skirt & knock off some balls because she thought her reflection was another dog). She really likes the tree too & has been dragging her bed underneath it to nap. It's really cute. Her introductions with the cat have been going great which is fantastic. The cat is almost comfortable enough to come downstairs now (she usually makes it to the 2nd to last step & sits there). Punky no longer tries to chase her (though she did want to chase a stray that was sitting on my neighbor's porch) & has been getting calmer faster when the cat is around. I attached a few pictures I've taken (and believe me, I have tons more!) Some are of her under the tree.