“Meatball is a mystery,” said Debra. “He arrived with a valuable lesson, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you may get it, right away, and it may come with some challenges!’  

A year ago, on a Friday night, my husband, Adam, and I decided it was time for our Pit Bull, Elsa Mae, to have a little brother.  Adam had always wanted an English bulldog.  There are many good and loving animals in shelters that need homes.  So we spent the weekend, on line, unsuccessfully  looking to rescue one.

Monday morning, I arrived at work (out in the middle of the woods) and sitting on the porch was a filthy, tan and white, about three-years-old, English Bulldog! I bent down to pet him and the male dog rolled over on his back for me to rub his tummy.  I told him he was a ‘little meatball’.

My boss said the collarless dog had appeared that morning and none of his staff or his neighbors recognized it.

I said, ‘If he is here at the end of the day, I will take him to a vet and see if he has a micro chip.  The whole day was surreal because at the end of it the ‘surprise’ dog was still waiting on the porch, as if he knew he was mine and I just needed time to figure it out.  After all, I had prayed him into my existence!

We pulled into our driveway and I called to my husband, “Come and meet someone!” I was anticipating seeing his face! What are the chances of a stray rare breed dog showing up after we had spent the weekend searching for - one in a million! That is what Meatball is - one in a million.

Our veterinarian confirmed that Meatball was chipped - but NEVER registered.  What good is a chip without ID to confirm its origin?

The vet sent a “found” bulletin to other veterinarians.  We posted the dog on Craigslist, shelters, and a bulldog rescue. If someone was looking for him, we made it easy to find him.

After a few months, a friend saw a sign at a grocery store, matching our little guy’s description.  Adam bravely phoned the number, left a message telling them we had their dog and that he was loved.  They never called.  It was a great relief. 

We love Meatball.  The thought of losing him was devastating.  We had his micro chip registered to us because we did not want to take a chance that he would disappear from our lives.  

Meatball had a nasty eye infection.  Could the threat of his impending vet bills led to his abandonment? Or was he severely neglected? His past remains a mystery.

In the meantime, Elsa and Meatball became inseparable - snuggling with each other. He loves his big sister and does whatever she does, just like any little brother.  On walks, he speeds up to catch up with her and she slows down so he can.

His big face wrinkles give him such a darn cute look, but they also caused him discomfort. His eyelashes rolled inward and scratched his eyeballs making them cloudy and infected.

We also discovered the painful fact that his eyes don’t produce tears. We drop artificial tears into his eyes, three times a day, for his relief and comfort.  I can’t believe that breeders continue  breeding dogs that create this pain for puppies and a financial struggle for their adopters.

Three vets suggested that Meatball receive entropian surgery; a facelift where excess skin is removed from around his eyes, so he can keep them open and his eye lashes turned out.  Also suggested was having his nostrils enlarged in hopes that he could breath better.  

Meatball had surgery and the top nose wrinkle was removed because it was pushing up on his eyes and down on his nose, closing off his nostrils so he couldn’t breath and smell.   

The first night after surgery I was concerned.  It sounded like he wasn't breathing right.  We couldn't hear his purr-verbial snoring.  The surgery was such a success that he was breathing better than ever and his eyes now make tears!

Meatball is a mama's boy.  No other creature has ever made me feel so appreciated.  He loves his Poppa and sleeps on the bed between our heads. 

One of his most endearing qualities is that he appreciates everything - even the things he doesn't like, such as baths and medicated eye drops. Yes, he squirms, huffs and puffs while he is experiencing them, but as soon as it's done he snuggles and loves.

He fits perfectly into our family and we couldn't imagine life without our little Meatball.  His arrival was reminiscent of watching a miracle manifest.  The animated children’s movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” reminds us of our cloudy Oregon weather, but we never expected it to rain a Meatball!”

“More and more people are using natural and homeopathic vet care,” said Debra.  “Meatball and his sister are on an all raw food diet that we learned about on Healing Paws Wellness Center’s website.  http://www.healingpawscenter.com

Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts! They have appeared in International magazines and newspapers around the world. (France, England, Canada, China, Germany, USA, etc.)

Also, several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety.