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Frankâ€™s New Lease of Life

Frank’s New Lease of Life

Frank is one of those dogs that you can’t help but smile at. His handsome looks and cuddly personality charmed everyone, but behind that, he was struggling.

Frank lived at home with his humans and two other French Bulldogs, but he always felt different to his siblings. Frank had always had breathing difficulties and he struggled to go out for walks. And without a garden at home, he wasn’t getting the exercise he needed.

It didn’t feel fair to leave him at home while his family went out for walks, so his humans made the difficult decision to rehome him, where we confirmed Frank was suffering from BOAS.

What is BOAS?

BOAS, which stands for Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome is a condition commonly found in short-nosed breeds such as French Bulldogs, Pugs, and English Bulldogs. It’s a disorder that causes breathing difficulties due to narrow nostrils, nasal passages, and an elongated soft palate.

BOAS compromises quality of life by limiting a dog’s ability to play, exercise, eat and sleep normally.

Signs to look out for:

Noisy, snuffly breathing

Snoring and/or disturbed sleep

Exercise intolerance

Sensitivity to heat

Panting when resting

Regurgitating or vomiting

Finding Frank a Forever Home: The Meet&Match® Adoption Process

For Frank, it was essential that he had surgery to improve his wellbeing, but he needed to find his forever home first to ensure he would be comfortable during his recovery.

Our Meet&Match® process is designed to help dogs find the right home for them, focusing on making sure it’s the right fit for both the dog and the humans. Frank was in need of a calm and patient household where he could enjoy pottering about in a garden for the first time. His recovery would require gentle care and love, along with experience to help with his training.

Luckily, his perfect match was right around the corner.

Adam’s Search for a Four-legged Friend

Adam had spent his life growing up with rescue dogs and knew just how special the bond is. After purchasing his first home, Adam was searching online for a four-legged friend when he stumbled across Frank. Looking like he was in need of love and care from someone who prefers to spend nights in on the sofa, Frank seemed like the perfect dog for Adam.

Thanks to the Meet&Match® process for adopting a dog, the team was confident that Adam could provide Frank the life he was searching for.

Introducing a New Dog to Your Home

As is the case with welcoming most dogs into a new home, Frank had some initial difficulties with settling in. His training was fairly basic, unable to understand commands such as “sit” or “bed”, and due to never having a garden, he didn’t understand that this is where he could go to toilet. He was unsure of how to behave on walks and even being left in another room by himself would cause him to cry – but luckily Frank had a kind human to show him the ropes.

Adam was confident he could help Frank, and with patient and understanding training, he began learning how to be a dog. The commands he once didn’t understand became second nature, and he quickly learnt that politely sitting often resulted in a tasty treat.

Despite settling into his new home well, Frank still struggled with his breathing, unable to even make it to the end of the street without feeling exhausted so once he’d settled, his BOAS surgery was booked.

How BOAS Surgery Changed Frank’s Life

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to fund Frank’s £865.46 surgery, which was the first step towards a brand-new life.

After the surgery, Frank became a whole new dog. His breathing improved so much, and the dog that barely wanted to leave the house is now eager and excited to go for walks.

Now able to exercise comfortably, Frank even lost a bit of timber! But he’s still as snuggly as ever.

Thanks to Frank’s life-changing surgery, he has been able to explore more and regularly enjoys new adventures. He politely waits before crossing roads, and he can’t wait for a good play in the grass during his walks. He’s even learnt to signal when he needs to go in the garden to toilet – clever boy!

Frank has truly taken life in his stride, and thanks to a carefully matched adoption and surgery funded by our wonderful supporters, he has truly landed on his paws in his forever home and is now living life to the fullest.

Are you ready to start your dog adoption journey?

If you’re looking to add a four-legged friend into your family, you can find out more about how our dog adoption process works and meet the dogs who are looking for their forever home today.

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