Brutus needs your help

First, a little background....the subject of this article is an old friend of mine, and her bulldog. Mary Borton is the daughter of former Ohio State quarterback John Borton (1952-1954). Obviously, she grew up surrounded by scarlet and gray, and is one of the biggest Buckeye fans I've ever known. The Borton family has influenced The BBC from its' inception, and was responsible for my own daughter seeing her first Ohio State game in person, so anytime I can help them out, it's my pleasure.

It looks like Mary may have been fleeced by a puppy mill. She found a purebred bulldog, and fell in love with him immediately. Obviously, being a Buckeye fan, she named him Brutus. Brutus fast became the light of her life, but it didn't take long for the little guy to develop problems. Puppy mills do that sort of thing...they breed dogs on the fly and without any care, and the dogs eventually develop serious problems. The breeder gets rich quick, and the dogs deteriorate, leaving the owners with enormous medical bills.

Brutus' condition is that his spinal cord is growing crooked. He lost the use of his back legs at 6 months. He's now a little over a year old, and he can only drag himself around. Imagine what it's like for that dog to use the bathroom without being able to lift his leg or squat down.

The Akron Beacon Journal ran a large story on Mary and Brutus...you can read the whole thing here.

Mary's a sweet girl, and isn't looking for revenge against the puppy mill responsible....and she's actually a bit embarrassed that people are offering to help her. But she's not going to have an easy time paying for Brutus' conditions. And if you knew Mary, you'd jump at the chance to help her out.

So far, someone has donated a dog cart for Brutus, so she can replace the baby stroller she was using to take him for walks. But if you know of any way you can help out a sweetheart of a friend, drop me a line, or throw a couple of bucks at Brutus' PayPal account - you can donate to the e-mail account brutusborton - at - yahoo.com

The response thus far has been wonderful....in Mary's words;

Other people have volunteered to build him a ramp, donated treats and toys, Petsmart gift cards and offers to dog sit. The response has been incredible and I have been busy answering each and every inquiry. There are more every day!

I'm kinda hoping I can throw her a little support from my friends at The BBC.

I'm sending her 10 bucks tomorrow, and I'm going to convince my girlfriend to match it. Got a couple extra dollars? Send Brutus a little love. You'll bring a smile to two of the cutest Ohio State fans ever.