With two of her three sons off serving in the military, Sultan City Councilmember Marianne Naslund was beginning to experience a mild case of empty-nest syndrome. She needed a new project.
So when she stumbled across Dogs on Deployment, a nonprofit organization that provides a national database for members of the military to locate volunteers willing to board their pets, she was immediately intrigued. When further research led her to Bruce Alford, a 2-year-old, 55-pound English bulldog from Arkansas, she was even more intrigued. She set out to convince her husband Kevin that providing foster care for Bruce would be a great way to help a military family in need.
Once he looked at photos of Bruce, it didn't take long to convince him.
"We took Bruce without even meeting him,GÇ¥ Marianne said. "Everything clicked in place. It sounded right, it felt right, and so we did it.GÇ¥
Danielle and Devin Alford decided to register Bruce with Dogs on Deployment when they learned that due to a heat
embargo, Bruce would not be allowed to fly to Devin's new permanent change of station (PCS) in Tokyo, Japan. Devin, a C-130H pilot in the United States Air Force, had just completed eight months of training in Little Rock, Ark., and the two looked forward to their new adventures in Japan.
Until they learned that Bruce would not immediately be able to make the 10-hour flight.
"I was devastated,GÇ¥ Danielle said. "I had planned on sending Bruce to Japan through Air Canada Cargo out of Vancouver, Canada.GÇ¥
But in order to transport Bruce, the temperature in Vancouver and Japan had to be less than 75 degrees. One degree over the mark, and Bruce would be out of luck. Riding in the cargo hold of an airplane can be problematic for any animal, but is even more so for snub-nose bulldogs. Many commercial airlines have banned snub-nosed pets like bulldogs from flying at all, due to the increased risk of death from breathing problems.
Heat increases the risk factor substantially, so Danielle had to accept the fact that they wouldn't be able to transport Bruce right away. She looked into other options, including temporarily boarding Bruce until the heat restriction is lifted in October, but the boarding fees were too costly, and she didn't feel that the base-rate kennel services were adequate for Bruce.
Upping the level of care to include things like additional feedings and daily walks added to an already high expense.
"Finding Marianne was such a blessing,GÇ¥ Danielle said. "My mother asked me when we first found out that Bruce couldn't fly, how was I going to find someone that was going to spoil Bruce like I do? But after talking with Marianne I knew that she was going to spoil Bruce just as much or more than I could.GÇ¥
Once Marianne and Danielle connected through the Dogs on Deployment website, the organization helped to facilitate the relationship via a comprehensive foster care contract. The 15-page contract covers every eventuality from Bruce's medical care to feeding instructions to what happens if he bites someone.
Not that Bruce would stoop to such behavior. An extremely confident and social dog, Bruce enjoys interacting with people and has not yet outgrown all of his puppy ways. The good-natured bulldog arrived in Seattle on Saturday, June 20, via ground transport by a bulldog transportation company called D & M Bulldogs & Transport.
Marianne picked him up from a kennel facility, and introduced him to his temporary digs in Sultan. The two had a couple days to bond before they journeyed south to bid farewell to Danielle and Devin, who had a brief layover in Seattle on their way to Japan.
Bruce was quite miffed with his human parental units, and not afraid to show it.
"We met them at an off-leash dog park in Tukwila, and he gave them a full 20 minutes of cold shoulder,GÇ¥ Marianne said. "I had sprung him from doggy prison, so I was his new best friend.GÇ¥
Danielle wasn't entirely surprised by the brush off. Even though she tried to be prepared, it still broke her heart.
"I knew he would be mad. He is a little diva after all,GÇ¥ Danielle said. "Bruce and I are so close and he was just super upset that his mommy left him. I hope he can forgive us and get ready for the epic adventure we will have in Japan.GÇ¥
Bruce has settled into his Sultan life with barely a hiccup. Instructions for Bruce's care include daily calcium supplements, allergy medication, cleaning the furry wrinkles in his face, ointment between his toes and lots of exercise. His diet includes twice daily servings of food formulated to accommodate his wheat allergy, along with daily flax seed supplements.
None of which is any issue for Marianne, who loves caring for animals. She was rarely seen apart from her 13-year-old teacup poodle Nicole, who suffered from asthma and was completely blind when she finally had to put her down in October of 2014. Nicole was preceded in death by Sadie, the Naslunds' 11-year-old black lab mix, who passed away in December of 2013 from brain cancer.
Marianne and Kevin aren't compensated for being a foster family, but all of Bruce's expenses are covered by Danielle and Devin on a monthly basis.
"I tell her what I need, and she approves it,GÇ¥ Marianne said. "I take digital pictures of the receipts, and send them through email, and then the pay pal comes through for the combined total.GÇ¥
Bruce has been a welcome addition to the Naslund home. He loves splashing around in the wading pool that Marianne purchased in anticipation of his arrival, a pastime which is even more fun when a running hose is involved. Marianne discovered his love for running water quite by accident, when her nieces were playing with a sprinkler in the back yard.
"We laughed so hard because he was so intent on taking it away from them,GÇ¥ Marianne said. "They had it in the pool and he jumped in, grabbed it with his mouth, jumped out and went running away with the sprinkler.GÇ¥
He spent time at the Sultan Summer Shindig celebration, an event that Marianne has volunteered to help to coordinate for many years. And he had a great time going on adventures with Marianne's nieces while they were visiting from out of town.
"He has so much personality,GÇ¥ Marianne said. "Everybody needs a Bruce!GÇ¥
To Marianne, becoming involved with Dogs on Deployment was a way to provide peace of mind to another military family. Her son Nick is currently stationed in Everett, and her other son, Andrew Livasy, is stationed in Pensacola, Fla., where he serves in the Navy as a Master at Arms K9 handler. Marianne and Kevin were featured as Reader's Digest Hometown Heroes in April of 2012 after taking in Livasy, who came from a troubled home.
Her third son, Jake, is living at home while obtaining his degree from Cascadia Community College in Bothell.
She knows that when the time comes, saying farewell to Bruce will be difficult.
"It'll be hard to tell him goodbye, but I've had to do it with the kids as they've gotten older so I've gotten my practice,GÇ¥ Marianne said.
Bruce has his own Facebook page, along with his own Instagram and Twitter accounts. A jovial dog with an outgoing personality, Bruce was well known in Arkansas and often referred to as "The King of the River Market.GÇ¥ He even has his own business cards that are labeled with the catchphrase, "The Adventures of Bruce Alford.GÇ¥
"We miss him so much,GÇ¥ Danielle said.
For more information on Dogs on Deployment, please visit: http://dogsondeployment.org/, or the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/DogsonDeployment?fref=ts
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