Sept.13 is Pet Birth Defect Awareness Day. As such, we bring to you a delightful little English Bulldog puppy, Bonsai.
Bonsai was born with a host of birth defects, but he was also missing 2 legs. As the tale goes it takes a village, and in little Bonsai's case, it has taken his loving owners and the support of the community to get him to the happy, well-adjusted little half dog that he is today. As his Facebook page says, "Half A BullDog, Twice The Love."
In addition to having a deformed lower spine and no functional pelvis, Bonsai's little stunted rear legs had to be amputated, says Bored Panda. This, although necessary, created another host of issues. His two "good" front legs were showing signs of "Swimmer Puppy" syndrome, which kept him from using them well enough to walk. This created the continued domino effect of placing extra pressure on his internal organs, which could explain the large internal block of fluid the little guy had at birth.
Bonsai is a "hot mess" to some but certainly not to his devoted loving owners. They acquired the little bulldog from a breeder in Arkansas. Lucky for them, the wonderful people at Friends Of Emma, a nonprofit Texas-based group that's mission is to support dog's born with cleft palates and other congenital defects. They are helping with Bonsai's vet bills and supplies (baby wipes, diapers, etc).
Check out the pictures of this adorable little guy, like him on Facebook (Bonsai-Halfabulldogtwicethelove) and next time you see a pet with an unfortunate birth defect, smile, think of Bonsai, the little dog defying all odds and living-happily-ever-after.
