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Mugshot, the English bulldog with a paw of love
Nikki Carvey wanted to foster Mugshot the minute she saw his photo. The name came from his looks. For a bulldog he is very handsome, she says, and "it's criminal to be this good looking." more
Nikki founded Road Dogs and Rescue in Los Angeles, and she takes in medical dogs, disabled dogs and dogs with extra needs. She has rescued hundreds of them. Mugshot came in as a surrender, along with a whole bunch of others.
He was very shy when he arrived, but he started doing one small thing. He would lift a paw toward Nikki. Give him any attention and up it comes. She calls it the paw of love and friendship, and she thinks it is a good lesson for people, who could stand to reach out to each other more.
SaveMugshot might look old and grumpy, but he is actually quite sweet. He's mellow and very needy. He's also lazy, and he commits to it.
He's in pretty good shape, but raising that paw is about as much exercise as he cares for. When Nikki takes him for a walk, he hangs at the end of the leash and looks at her as if she's the one doing something wrong.
Puppies don't bother him one bit. They chew on his feet, his ears and his face, and he just chills. Nikki calls them the barnacles. The dogs get their play time in the backyard and on the beach.
He follows Nikki everywhere. She'll turn around and find him sitting there, staring at her. He looks at you like a human being, she says.
For Nikki, the reward of rescue is the second chance. Many dogs come to her sick or without much hope, and she gets to watch them turn happy. Even the ones still sick, or in hospice care, are loved. "That's the bit that warms my heart."
She says disabled animals teach us the most about life and have the biggest personalities. Anyone who thinks a dog who can't move his back legs will have a lesser life gets a short answer. "That's ridiculous. They have so much life to live."
