In Memory of Gilligan
September 7, 2003

Gilligan already showed the effects of dementia when he first moved into foster care, barking incessantly at unfamiliar objects (every object was unfamiliar to this little old dog) and becoming increasingly disoriented and agitated. His continuous upset caused him to vomit uncontrollably. Whether he was outside or inside, running loose, in a crate, or even in a soft-sided portable playpen, he was never able to escape his fears.

As a last resort, FBRN boarded him at the vet's office while they tried Eldepryl (selegiline hydrochloride) and various other medical combinations to relieve his agitated state. Rebecca Sazegar visited him daily. When it became apparent that he did not have any quality of life, Rebecca went back and got him. She brought him to her house and they cuddled, he had a big meal, played in the yard and went for a walk on the beach before we had him humanely euthanized. Rebecca held him and he drifted off.

The vet offered to do a necropsy at no charge and although all the results have not come back from the tissue samples he sent out, we do know that he had severe liver disease and his gall bladder was also involved. He couldn't digest his food and the toxins in his body were going to his brain.

Gilligan deserved his peace. We'd like to thank Rebecca for having the courage and the compassion to hold him close while he found it.

We first heard about Gilligan through the Frenchie Outpost:

"Can't control bladder (needs a yard), barks at nothing, slightly blind, deaf" the description read, and then added hopefully, "Very gentle and sweet. Loves to play fetch with rubber toys."

Gilligan was thirteen years old, and he was looking for a new home...

This is the picture that came with the listing... one ear needed a little help staying up.

Rebecca Sazegar is one of our three southern California state contacts. Rebecca knows all about living with elderly dogs... her Pug Gizmo was fifteen when she died.

But even she wasn't prepared for the shape in which she found Gilligan. He was seriously dehydrated and terribly emaciated.

Gilligan spent his first night in FBRN custody in a cage at Dr. Butchko's office, hooked up to an IV line and getting special vitamins with his food. Rebecca was, quite simply, afraid he would die if she just brought him straight home...

Dr. Butchko and his son and grandson, also veterinarians, are well known to the Los Angeles area French Bulldog community as knowledgeable and caring vets... and very rescue friendly.

Feeling better, fresh from his bath, and packed full of fluids, vitamins, and human grade quality dog food, and sporting a brand new collar and leash, Gilligan is quite pleased to be at the beach.

He loved his visit to the vet's office where everyone fussed over him (and one person even cried over him).

Now, he is ready to enjoy a new life, and the ocean breeze drifting into his foster home at a beach house in Laguna Niguel... Gilligan is one lucky dog, and he knows it.

Gilligan's owner brought him home when he was eleven weeks old. Several months ago, she realized that she could no longer provide for him. Her friends urged her to put the old dog down, but a visit to the vet told her, no, not yet. Gilligan moved in with her parents instead...

Without the care and attention Gilligan had come to rely on all of his life, the little dog could not thrive... so they turned to rescue.

Without rescue groups like the French Bulldog Rescue Network, dogs like Gilligan would have nowhere to go.

There is no way to express the pain of having to give up a dog that you've lived with and loved for thirteen years,
but at least we are able to say, don't worry, he'll be okay...

Rebecca Sazegar with Gilligan...