Maddie came into our lives in 2014 as a rescue from Foothill’s Animal Shelter. She became our baby girl. From the moment we met her it was love at first sight. especially for Pat who knew he found his princess. For the next 11 years she was the greatest pup anyone can ever have. She spent time as a Therapy Dog reading to children in libraries and visiting nursing homes. She also loved to go to doggy daycare and play with other pups. But her favorite thing was to be where her mommy and daddy were. She also loved her little brother Gus, who is an English bulldog who has Spina Biafada. In her last year of life she became a big sister to her human sister Zahava and seeing her maternal instincts flourish was a treat. We were told that Foothills took possession of her because she was taken out of a forced breeding situation in Denver where she was locked in a cage. The vet assumed she had at lest 2-3 litters of puppies in her young life.

Then came the spring of 2025 she started slowing down and was obviously in a lot of pain. After a couple weeks of being picked up and set on the couches and beds we went to move her and she yelped in pain. We rushed her to the emergency vet and 9 hours later she was gone. She had an infection, a mass in her heart, and the beginnings of renal failure and what the vet assumed was cancer. We were in a position where we could afford to do what we needed to do to get as many answers as we could, but it became clear that we were going to say goodbye. During a conversation with the doctor I casually asked how often people have to make an unthinkable decision over a emergency vet bill for $200, $300, $500 dollars and the vet said it happened ALL THE TIME. That was when the idea of Maddie’s Love was born. Madison’s embodied love and kindness. She just loved and wanted to be loved. I promised her when we said goodbye that I would do something to carry on her story and her legacy. This is what it has become.

At Maddies Love we want to be able to provide small assistance for pet parents of Mini-Pitties and English Bulldogs to help them take care of their kiddos. We want to be able to help off-set the cost of euthanasia when that is the outcome for a families beloved pet. We are looking to team up with Vetenarians to offer this help.