Beatrice was surrendered to Hamilton Animal Services after a change in her owner’s family left her without a place to go. Poor Beatrice had terrible dental disease that was causing her mouth to be very painful. She was not spayed. She had mammary tumours, extremely overgrown nails and her coat was a matted mess. This sweet little dog was in rough shape…

We were happy to get Beatrice out of the shelter, straight to Guelph Animal Hospital for a check-up, and we tackled her issues one by one.

First, Beatrice had dental surgery. Because they were so severely rotted, every last tooth had to come out except for one. The only reason the vet didn’t remove that last tooth was because they were concerned there wasn’t enough bone density underneath it, and that Beatrice’s jaw may fracture if they tried to take it out. Her mouth was truly a mess for a long, long time. We can’t imagine the suffering she had to endure every day.
She healed up perfectly from that surgery, and a few weeks later she had her second surgery for spaying and mammary tumour removal. Thankfully, the vet was able to remove that last remaining tooth while Beatrice was under anesthetic. She’s a totally toothless lady now! She did very well for the second surgery and we got the results back and the mammary tumours were benign! Yay!
X-rays revealed that Beatrice has spondylosis, which is a degenerative condition that occurs along the spine in older dogs. She’s currently on pain medication for this, and will likely need to stay on it for the remainder of her days.

Despite everything she’s gone through since her rescue, Beatrice has been so sweet and friendly. She puts a smile on the face of everyone she meets. Such a little trooper she is!

Here’s a note from Beatrice’s foster mom:
“Beatrice is a wee senior poodle mix (non-shedding) that will steal your heart! She spends most of her day napping, but she also enjoys playing with toys. Her fetch game is adorable, and she vigorously ‘chews’ on her rubber squeaky bone even though she’s completely toothless! She loves going for walks, but her body can’t always keep pace with her enthusiasm, so she rests her tired little legs by enjoying the view from a backpack or by simply being carried until she’s hot to trot again. She’s on a low dose of gabapentin to help manage her aches and pains and has recently started on a prescription diet to help keep her old lady brain sharp so she can remember all the rules of mahjong and to mind her manners in the presence of treats. She’s an excellent houseguest and happily coexists with other fur friends who respect her seniority and her space, although she has no desire to play and will loudly and forcibly shut down any and all attempts to engage her in such shenanigans. For that reason, she wouldn’t be suited to joining a home with a reactive dog (or a particularly ornery cat). Beatrice does not like to be crated and is very much a companion dog. She’s happiest just napping nearby and seems to have some anxiety about being left home alone, which manifests in barking and pacing (which we’re working on). She’s reliably housetrained during the day but often needs to take a comfort break in the middle of the night when she wakes up, so she has access to a pee pad. Beatrice is a joy to spend time with and nothing is better than seeing her tiny stubby tail wag or being on the receiving end of one of her awkward wet kisses. She has so much life left in her and deserves to be spoiled for the rest of her days!”

Please adopt Beatrice!

*Beatrice’s rescue was sponsored by Toronto-based tattoo artist Beatrice Costa Bell who recently ran an incredible tattoo fundraiser to help the animals of Ladybird. Amazing work! Thank you, Beatrice!!!