Our Story

Helping Others

Part I: My Arrival Story

For as long as my mommy can remember, she has always had a canine companion. As an infant and toddler, there was Max, an English Springer Spaniel. And then Teddy, a Cockapoo. Cactus, a Walker-Beagle. Fergus, a miniature long-haired Dachshund. And Nestor, a Carolina Dog. As an only child, mommy had always had a large social circle outside her own family, but her true best friend -- the one to whom she told her every dream and fear -- had always been her dog. They were there with unconditional love and wagging tail support during all the good and bad times. Teddy's furry coat soaked up all her quiet tears when her parents divorced. Fergus and Nestor were her saving graces when her husband passed away unexpectedly.

Time heals all and life went on. But when it came time for mommy to move to Manhattan to be with her new boyfriend, she was heartbroken that Fergus and Nestor could not move with her. (Our building did not allow pets at that time.) However, everything happens for a reason. Mommy's grandparents and mother, who had also never been without canine companionship, had been without for too long. So, Fergus moved to Ohio with mommy's grandparents; and Nestor to Michigan with her mother. And mommy set out determined to change her landlord's mind about pets in the building.

It took two years and the landlord's daughters (and dogs!) to move into our building to change the pet policy, but she/we did it! In July 2004, mommy was approved to bring a new dog into her life and home. The approval was only the first step, however. Next, mommy had to find a suitable breeder.

I can't tell you how many breeders she contacted. While they may have produced quality puppies, she didn't "click" with any of them. Most balked at the fact that she was planning so far in advance! She simply didn't understand this mentality. Her puppy was going to be part of her "family," not just a pet. She wouldn't decide to have a baby and not plan for its arrival.

And then she spoke with Dana. She had the sweet voice and warm, bubbly personality of mommy's mother. She expressed a love for her pups mommy had only seen in those she considers pet "mothers" not pet "owners." Dana didn't laugh or poo-poo mommy when she told her she wanted a pup not immediately, but almost a year from then. Mommy knew immediately that Dana was the one. Other people tried to get mommy to look at other breeders -- closer to her area, but she refused. She knew in her heart that I was going to come from Dana's home. And months later, a false pregnancy scare in the past, I, Leonard Pip Rothstein, came into the world on Friday, April 1, 2005. Mommy was in love with the "idea" of me before I was even born, but through photos and email describing my development, she fell completely in love with me!


Part II: Little Lenny the Pug was Hit by a Car!

I was hit by a car on Friday, November 11, 2005. There truly is a separate God for animals and children as my life was miraculously saved and I sustained only a severely fractured right rear leg and dislocated hip. I was rushed to the Heart of Chelsea Animal Hospital early that morning.

I experienced vomiting (the surgeon called it a "complication of no concern") Monday afternoon, November 14, when they initially attempted surgery to repair the fractures so Dr. Pooya asked my mommy for permission to abort the operation. She complied, of course.

My surgical team resumed the operation Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. The surgery lasted 5 hours and there were complications.

While initially the team believed there to be two fractures, there were in fact three. The third fracture could not be seen in x-rays due to being in an area of much muscular attachment. The good news was that this fracture was stabilized very well during surgery.

The other, and most severe, complication was that the portion of the femur just above the knee joint was shattered. Dr. Pooya had to make the split decision to fuse the bones or attempt to selvedge the joint. Given my very young age and the high probability of my being able to heal well, he chose to selvedge the joint. This was the most critical fracture.

Due to the severity of the lower femur damage and third fracture, Dr. Pooya changed plans with regardsto how he would mend my dislocated hip. He had originally planned to reattach the femur cap with pins, but performed an FHO (femoral head osteoectomy) instead.

The incision, from just above my pelvis to below my knee, was closed with 35 small staples and I was fitted with a splint to help keep my knee stable.

Best case scenario? All three fractures would form new cartilage and bone and accept the metal implants that were necessary to save my leg. Worst case scenario? I would need future surgeries to fuse my knee or amputate my leg.

My mommy began her crusade to raise awareness about both safety and pet health insurance.

The reason I was even able to reach a car-filled highway was due to a faulty latch on my LEASH! The latch itself opened up enough to slip off my harness and I began running home after my usual walk. My mommy and I encourage everyone we know to NOT use leashes with the standard thumb spring latches. There are three other leash options out there: 1) carbine clip type latch, 2) cross-over thumb-release latch and 3) 1-piece harness/leash combinations. While we are NOT saying that this will definitely happen to you, it IS a distinct possibility!

My medical bills were very expensive, but I was fortunate that mommy had the forethought to purchase pet health insurance for me. While she did have to pay the balance out of pocket up front, she recouped around a good amount through the insurance company. Money means nothing when it came to my life, but it helped mommy a great deal to know she will not be in debt for the next twenty years. If you do not have pet health insurance, I strongly encourage you to invest in the best plan you are able to afford.


Part III: An Obvious, but Difficult Choice

My mommy was faced with a difficult decision only one week after my surgery -- albeit an obvious one to her.

My surgery had not been as successful as everyone had hoped. It was no one's fault and we didn’t lay blame with anyone. Both the severity of the damage to my little knee as well as my age adding to the "softness" still of my bones was just too much for the pins (5 for me compared to 1 regularly used for an adult dog) to hold. I was not in any pain, but would be given time as my reconstructed knee continued to fall apart.

So, mommy was faced with making a decision regarding the next step. She presented my file to a battery of animal AND human doctors, nurses and surgical specialists, and she was given these choices/suggestions:

1) Continue surgeries (minimum 2-3), including arthrodesis (joint fusion) and bone grafting over time which would result in a "cosmetic" leg and early onset of severe osteoarthritis. Or...

2) Amputation of the right hind leg.

As mentioned before, this was not an easy choice, but definitely an obvious one to my mommy. Given my joyful, outgoing personality, how could mommy choose to "hobble" my? At what cost did she need to have a pug with 4 legs? Was she that vain? Did my quality of life mean so little to her that she was willing to put me through a lifetime of pain?

Absolutely NOT! As a very good friend of mommy’s said, "Vanity plays no part." And how could mommy EVER love me any less? It just wouldn't happen! She would love me even more (if humanly possible) from the tip of my pug nose to the tip of my curly tail!

So my leg was amputated and it will hopefully be the last traumatic event in my life.

Do not be sad. I am alive and well and as happy a puggie as could be. I do not know that I look different and my canine friends do not care!


Part IV: Lenny the Pug & His Mommy Plan a Party!

Not all people take the time and care in selecting their pets that my mommy did. Thousands of cats and dogs are left intact, resulting in thousands more unwanted kittens and puppies each year. And many pets are turned out of homes due to undesirable behavior, boredom or unpreparedness, by the human family. Therefore, my mommy and I felt it was our duty to help those in need.

In just two years my annual birthday benefit for Animal Haven (www.animalhavenshelter.org) has been named a “Weekend Best Bet” by Time Out New York magazine and NBC as well as received event listings in The New York Times and The Village Voice just to name two of nearly 100! We are proud to have donated $3784 in 2006 and $4348 in 2007 to Animal Haven. With nearly a decade of retail management under her belt, my mommy registered a new business and added an online luxury pet boutique to my website. 100% of sales profits are used to fund my annual benefit event.

Mommy is already working on my 2008 benefit event (April 13, 2008) and has once again secured a few of my most devoted event sponsors.
Please visit my official event website (www.lennythepug.com) for all the details and pass it on to as many of your animal lovin' friends as possible!