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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coeur d’Alene dog community rallies for bulldog’s heart surgery

Abby the English bulldog wore a red tutu as she happily greeted her supporters at GoodDog in Coeur d’Alene Saturday, trotting over for a head scratch and a pet as she snuffled and snorted, as bulldogs do.

Her eagerness belied the fact she needs surgery for pulmonary stenosis and was at the pet store for a fundraiser to help her adopted owners pay for her $3,000 operation.

“She’s got a heart valve that hasn’t opened up all the way,” said Susan Broadhead.

She and her husband, Jeffrey, are failed foster parents, she said. Abby, who is about a year old, had been surrendered to River City Pet Rescue last fall and her intake vet exam revealed her heart problem. The rescue asked the couple to foster Abby while a permanent home was found for her, but they fell in love and decided to keep her.

Abby is the third bulldog the couple has fostered. “We haven’t given one back yet,” said Jeffrey Broadhead.

She will join the couple’s other pets: Dexter, a 10-year-old English bulldog, and Yeager, a 7-year-old American bulldog. Dexter was a foster dog that the couple kept. They also fostered and kept another English bulldog named Noodles, who died of an ailment similar to Abby’s.

“She is our resident princess at our house,” Susan Broadhead said. “She fit right in. They absolutely love her.”

Bulldogs are prone to health issues, particularly breathing problems. But they also have great personalities and are very loving, she said.

“They’re just such characters,” she said.

The owner of GoodDog, Pam Nordby, suggested the Broadheads as foster parents when the owner of River City Pet Rescue called looking for a temporary home for Abby. She knew they had the experience needed to care for her.

“Bulldogs are a different breed,” Nordby said. “You’ve got to know what you’re doing with them.”

Once Nordby learned about Abby’s heart condition and the need for surgery, she organized a fundraiser.

“This is a big cost,” Nordby said. “Our customers are so generous and such animal lovers.”

The shop has been collecting donations and selling raffle tickets for nearly a dozen different gift baskets for nearly two weeks. Several local businesses contributed items to create baskets of wine and chocolate, Gonzaga basketball merchandise, Buck Knives, beer and dog treats. The raffle winners will be selected Sunday.

Abby and her owners came to the shop Saturday to greet people who have been donating to the cause. As of Friday the shop had collected about $1,100 toward the surgery.

“Many hands make light work,” Nordby said.

The surgery will be performed at the Washington State University veterinary hospital in Pullman, where Abby has already been examined.

Susan Broadhead said she is in awe of the people who stepped up to help and didn’t expect the fundraiser to be so successful.

“Everybody has just been absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “It’s kind of overwhelming how much everybody has come together for this.”