Name: Robert Redford - (7-10 y/o)
Family Members: Jeff & Staci - Dog Siblings: Chance & Stanley
How long has Robert Redford been in the family? Just over a year.
Professions: Jeff- Lawyer, Staci- Ad Manager
Location: Decatur, GA.
Nicknames: Bubba (This is what we call him 99% of the time)
5 words/phrases that best describe Bubba?
- Opinionated
- Ridiculous
- Old dog learning new tricks
- Snuggle Bug
- Goofball
What makes Bubba unique? Bubba carries his bowls around and uses them to express his feelings. We can be in the basement and hear him throwing his bowl across the hardwood floors because he is upset that he can’t be with us. We will come home and he will be carrying a bowl to the front door because he is excited to see us. He will also take his bowls outside and hide them. This sometimes makes mealtime exciting since we have to find the bowl before we can put food in it.
Play time!
Rescue Story: We had just adopted out a pit bull we had been fostering and the house felt a bit empty. We were in the process of selling our home and finding another so we didn’t want to take on another foster. Then we saw Robert Redford. PAWS Atlanta had put out a plea to find a forever foster/hospice situation for him on their Facebook page. Bubba had been pulled from Dekalb Animal Control and was heartworm positive. They had done the heartworm treatment but, unfortunately, the heartworms were too advanced and he went into heart failure. He was living in the cat cottage and the good people at PAWS wanted to make sure Bubba knew what a loving home was before he crossed the rainbow bridge. We couldn’t say no. His face was so sweet and sad. We knew we could help him for whatever time he had left. We were told three months tops and, if he made it to the summer, he’d likely decline quickly in the heat. We took him home, got some weight off of him through diet, exercise and made sure he stayed on his medications. More importantly, we loved him. Bubba has been with us for just over a year and showing signs of improvement every time we take him for his check-up. PAWS can’t believe how good of shape he is in now. We are starting to call him Benjamin Button. We sincerely hope that Bubba can give hope to others whose dogs have been given a scary diagnosis. You have to be prepared for the inevitable but these dogs can live a long, quality life until it’s their time.
Bubba in the Cat Cottage.
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We take Bubba on very short walks and let him run around the back yard with his fur brother, Stan. He recently learned to play wrestle with Stan; it took him almost the full year to figure it out. Because of Bubba’s condition, we watch him closely and limit his exercise so he doesn’t over exert his heart. As a result, he’s become a very snuggly couch potato! He will also dig on the master bed until all the sheets and pillows are in the center for a nest so he can nap in optimum comfort. And, of course, his favorite pastime is moving his bowls around.
What is life like since you rescued Bubba? Full and unpredictable! Bubba is a spoiled pup now. He sleeps on the bed, is fed high end food, and gets delicious treats. He is told he is loved every day and gets ear scratches on demand. He has come a long way from AC and the cat cottage at PAWS! And we are honored that Bubba knows what real love is and that we were able to provide that. More importantly, Bubba has taught us a lot about resilience and defying the odds.
Photographers Note: Often my volunteers fill out the questionnaire a few weeks before I actually get to meet them and take their photos. Which means a lot can change in that time, especially for a dog like Bubba. When I arrived at Jeff and Staci's home, they had recent news from a vet appt that was a game changer for sure. It would seem that the cardiologist believed Bubba is no longer in heart failure. A dog that was given 3 months to live and was taken in as a Fospice case, now has a new lease on life. He is on his last few days of meds, as he being weened off and he has a couple of check up appts with the vet and cardiologist coming up but things are looking up for this handsome boy.
Knowing everything he has been through and then watching him run and play in the backyard with that big goofy pittie smile(with supervision of course), just brings a huge smile to your face. It's almost like he is learning to be a dog again and a happy one at that. Bubba's story is an amazing one and just goes to show what the power of love can do for a dog!