I’d like to introduce you to Apollo! He is my spunky, loving, playful, and slightly

mischievous 4-year-old (soon to be 5) French bulldog. He’s a large personality

compacted in a small body, with an endless supply of sloppy kisses. Apollo is a very

social little boy and gets excited to meet anyone, whether they have two legs or four.

He’s inseparable from his older brother, Kingston, and loves to spend his days playing

with a tennis ball, chasing after leaves in the wind, tearing apart his stuffed animals, and

snuggling with his mom every night after dinner. Anyone who has had the opportunity to

meet him can attest to his playful energy, friendliness, and ability to make you smile.

Apollo suffers from a condition called IVDD, which stands for Intervertebral Disc

Disease. This caused him to experience a significant disc herniation about two years

ago, which compressed his spinal cord and nerves. As you can imagine, this resulted in

substantial pain, loss of function of his back legs, and temporary loss of bladder control.

He was hospitalized, underwent spinal surgery to repair this injury, and made a

remarkable recovery. Although several modifications needed to be made in the home to

accommodate his accessibility and mobility needs, he’s continued to live a fulfilling life.

He’s enjoyed visiting Farmington River, going for car rides and driving through car

washes, visiting his furry friends, going out for ice cream (dog-friendly, of course!),

seeing Christmas light shows, and going for walks.

Unfortunately, on Friday, October 3, 2025, he began showing symptoms of severe pain

again. The intensity of his pain caused him to pant heavily and rapidly, putting him in

respiratory distress. He spent Friday and Saturday in the hospital in order to stabilize his

respiratory status and manage his pain. After being discharged Saturday evening, he

was closely monitored at home by his mom, was being medicated around the clock, and

on strict bed rest. Everything seemed to be heading in the right direction until the

evening of October 8th. He became visibly distressed and was inconsolable despite

pain medication. Apollo has been admitted to the ICU and an MRI showed a substantial

ruptured disc in his thoracic spine. He requires another spinal surgery to relieve his

spinal cord from compression and prevent the loss of function in his back legs.

Apollo has so much life ahead of him and deserves many more years to share with his

big brother and his mom. He deserves more time to love and be loved. He deserves

more summers to enjoy the wind on his face during car rides, more winters to play in the

snow, more autumns to chase the leaves. He has many more snuggle sessions and wet

kisses to share. Any assistance with making this possible for my fur baby would be

appreciated more than words can express.