08/23/2026
It seems like we’ve been at a loss for words a lot lately.
And we’re not quite sure how to describe the last 36 hours other than a complete nightmare.
Things happened so fast and furiously that we don’t even have photos to share yet. So tonight, we’re going to do our best to use our words.
Last week, we put out an urgent plea for fosters so we could quickly secure three French Bulldogs — Tank, Willow and Leinie. We knew Leinie was struggling medically, and we had a pretty good idea what was wrong. We also knew there wasn’t time to wait.
Thanks to our team member Carrie, who literally took off work to make the trip to get them, all three arrived back in Sioux Falls just before closing Friday and went straight to our incredible team at Best Care Pet Hospital.
Our fears about Leinie were confirmed almost immediately: pyometra. She needed emergency surgery to save her life.
Dr. Carrie stayed after hours to perform Leinie’s lifesaving surgery, and for a brief moment, we thought that was going to be the excitement of the day.
We were very, very wrong.
Shortly after Tank and Willow had completed their exams and headed to their foster homes, Tank began having an anaphylactic reaction to one of his vaccines.
For any dog, this can become an emergency quickly. For a brachycephalic, flat-faced breed like a Frenchie, an already compromised airway can become life-threatening terrifyingly fast.
Tank’s foster recognized something was wrong immediately and rushed him to the emergency clinic as his airway began to close.
And then things got even worse.
In his distress, Tank had worked himself up so severely that he began experiencing symptoms of heat stroke. His body temperature climbed to more than 107 degrees.
We’ll be completely transparent: at that point, we had very little hope that his little body was going to be able to overcome everything happening to him.
While Tank was fighting for his life, Willow also began showing respiratory symptoms. Hers were thankfully not as severe, but after what was happening with Tank, we weren’t taking any chances. She was rushed to the ER as well, where she received an antihistamine injection and was monitored closely to make sure she didn’t progress into more serious respiratory distress.
Three dogs came into rescue Friday.
Three dogs required emergency, lifesaving medical care.
In all the years we’ve been doing this, we have never had an intake quite like this one.
But tonight, we finally have some good news to share:
Leinie, Tank and Willow are all recovering. ❤️
That is thanks to three incredibly vigilant foster homes who knew when something wasn’t right and acted immediately, and the extraordinary veterinary teams at Best Care Pet Hospital and All City Pet Care South/Emergency Veterinary Hospital who were there when these kids desperately needed them.
Unfortunately, surviving the last 36 hours came with a very real price tag.
We now have nearly $4,200 in unexpected emergency veterinary expenses for these three dogs alone.
And if you’ve been following along, you know the timing couldn’t be worse. We were already in the middle of trying to raise the funds needed to get Vida’s new engine and our transport program back on the road.
Early this week, once we’ve had a chance to regroup, we’ll introduce you properly to Tank, Willow and Leinie, share their photos and launch a fundraiser so everyone can follow our progress toward covering both these emergency bills and our van expenses.
But tonight?
We are tired. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally.
So if you have a few words of encouragement for our fosters and veterinary teams, some well wishes for these three little fighters, or the ability to help us get a head start on this enormous unexpected bill, we would be incredibly grateful.
Every $5, $10 and $20 helps us start digging out. Every share helps. And every kind word reminds our exhausted team why we keep saying yes when a dog needs us.
🐾 WAYS TO HELP B-SQUAD
💙 PayPal: https://www.bsquaddogrescue.com/donate
💙 Venmo: (verification: 2718)
💙 Mail:
B-Squad Dog Rescue
PO Box 583
Brandon, SD 57005
Tank. Willow. Leinie. Three little lives that needed us all at once — and because of an incredible village, all three are still here. ❤️
Thank you for continuing to stand beside us, especially on the days when rescue feels impossibly heavy.
Best Care Pet Hospital All City Pet Care South and ER
