08/10/2026
Please keep our dear friends Nikki & Keith in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn the heartbreaking loss of their sweet boy, Thrall. ๐๐พ
Thrall was deeply loved and will be missed more than words can express. We are sending Nikki & Keith love, comfort, and strength during this incredibly difficult time. โค๏ธ
On a winter day in 2018, Keith and I were asked to pick up a bulldog to foster. He was a year and a half old, and absolutely adorable. We had a few hurdles to overcome โ the first night in the house, he p*ed on anything that looked like a p*e pad. I recall picking up every single floor mat and saying to him โha, now what?!โ. By some miracle, he seemed to understand and learned to wait by the door when he needed to do his business. He was afraid of his leash and the car since that meant in his previous home that he was going to the vet. We made sure to take him everywhere with us to help him get used to things. After all, we were preparing him to get adopted, right?
After a month or so, I called Cathy and told her that we planned to make this sweet boy part of our family. He was just too special to let go. We formally adopted him at Bullypalooza ๐
Thrall was our 3rd bulldog. Each one had a great personality, but there was just something different about Thrall. I used to always tell him that he was the best bulldog ever, and it was true. This boy was special. He was also quite a piece of work! We had entered each of our bullies into a bulldog beauty contest, sponsored by Mack Trucks. Our first two boys had fun going to the event each year. Thrall had a blast! One year he placed 3rd, and the following year, he won 1st place! That was the last year they had the contest โ I think itโs because they knew no one could top him! ๐
If he didnโt want to get out of bed, we had to get โhisโ Parmesan cheese out of the fridge and put it under his nose. He would have followed that cheese anywhere! Our friends and dog sitters knew, if you need to get him out to do his business, go grab that parm! He would come running any time the cheese drawer in the fridge would open. One of his favorite games was to catch a slice of provolone like a frisbee! Itโs amazing how quick that cheese would disappear!
Thrall loved to stop and smell the flowers in the yard. If I had a bouquet in the house, he would want to smell that too. It was truly adorable โ he would close his eyes, lean in, and gently smell the beautiful flower.
He loved everything and everyone, especially Santa Claus! How many dogs do you know that get super excited to see Santa and get their photos taken? When Santa would come around our town on the firetruck, Thrall would have us outside at the sound of the sleigh bells! The firemen started carrying dog bones for Santa to give out. We finally found a photography studio that would take these great Santa photos. Each year, we went and he was overly excited to have time alone with Santa!
One of his favorite things to do was foster kittens with me. It was amazing how gentle he could be with the babies. He knew to sit still and be calm, all the while his little nubby tail was going like crazy! If that thing went any faster, he wouldโve flown away!
One day he decided that after 7 years of sleeping in his own beds (multiple oversized orthopedic beds throughout the house) that he was going to โbe a catโ and he started sleeping on the couch! He actually took over the entire love seat since he had to stretch his whole body out. Once he made that decision to jump up there, nothing was going to change his mind. He would even chase the cats away, so he had the whole couch to himself!
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had multiple surgeries, he never left my side. He was always within one or two feet of me, keeping watch. Now that Iโm through my cancer journey, I bought him a pink breast cancer awareness Nylabone but never got the chance to give it to him.
Our amazing, special boy was slowing down. We had multiple vet visits to figure things out. He was diagnosed with Cushingโs Disease. This was devastating but he was still his playful self, so we started him on the medication for the disease. At first there seemed to be an improvement, but two weeks later we were very concerned about the sudden changes in his appetite. When he didnโt come running at the sound of the cheese drawer, we had him at the vet the following day. Unfortunately, he very unexpectedly passed while we were there. We were completely shocked. The tears started and wouldnโt stop. At one month shy of his 10th birthday, he went out on his terms.
Not a day goes by that we donโt miss him. We both still call him, then catch ourselves. The tears flow again. The cats even miss him. They had all been friends but never cuddled together. Now the cats are sleeping in his beds and his blanketsโฆโฆanything that smells like him.
The almost 9 years we had with him werenโt enough. Anyone who has lost a beloved pet understands that feeling. We wish they could live forever.
We are so thankful for MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue for helping bring this sweet boy into our lives.
โค๏ธ
