Home Depot Employee Built a Special Chair to Help Dog With a Life-Threatening Condition Eat

Get the tissues ready, because we have the sweetest story to share with you. Gus is a three-year-old English Bulldog who was the victim of abuse and neglect. He was scheduled to be euthanized in September 2016 until Dawna Pederzani and Karen Sturtevant got the news and immediately jumped in the car to save him. The two women run Vermont English Bulldog Rescue so there was no question about saving Gus.

When Dawna and Karen went to rescue Gus from being euthanized, he was in terrible shape. “[He was a] skeleton, skin infections, eye infections, teeth were completely rotted in his mouth. He was still in tact, possibly being used for breeding. He was just a health disaster,” said Pederzani.

Veterinarians discovered the poor pup had a life-threatening condition called Megaesophagus. “He eats fine, then the food sits anywhere along the esophagus and eventually he will regurgitate it,” explained Pederzani.

After doing some research, Dawna and Karen learned about the Bailey Chair. “The chair was actually designed by family with a mixed-breed dog named Bailey who had mega and they and their vet determined that if he was held upright while he was fed, the food would pass through normally,” said Pederzani.

The women went to Home Depot with their plans and to their surprise, one of the employees, Corey Shanteau, said he would build the chair at no cost to the rescue. 

“It gave Gus a lifeline, because if Gus can’t eat, he can’t live. So literally this could save his life,” said Sturtevant. And the chair was a success! Gus loves his new Bailey Chair.

When asked why he decided to help the Bulldog rescue, Corey said, “I guess this one just being close to the holidays, and helping them out for the work that they do with the bulldogs themselves, it just makes it feel a little bit more special, I think.” Dawna and Karen say that Gus will be able to go up for adoption once he is further trained in his new chair.

If you would like to help pay for Gus’s medical costs, you can donate here. A big thank you to Vermont English Bulldog Rescue and to the folks at Home Depot who went above and beyond to save Gus’s life!

Image Source: Vermont English Bulldog Rescue/Facebook