Then, he started growing peach fuzz
A Special Rescue
Last August, when Cleft Pup Brigade posted a photo of Harold, a 4-month-old French bulldog, foster mom Andrea felt compelled to take him in. Despite Harold’s condition—completely hairless with pink, inflamed skin—Andrea was determined to help him.
“We saw him on their Instagram and immediately fell in love with him,” Andrea told the Dodo in a recent video. “I said, ‘I know that I can get this puppy turned around.’”
A Heartbreaking Start
Harold’s story was not a typical one for a French bulldog. He wasn’t naturally hairless; his condition was a result of severe neglect during his first few months.
“Harold is not a hairless Frenchie; he just doesn’t have hair because he was rescued from a severe neglect case,” Andrea explained. “For him to go from birth to the state he was in, that is just such a concentrated amount of time for a small puppy to be in discomfort.”
Healing with Love and Care
Despite his rough start, Harold was in good hands with Andrea and her family. They immediately started a skincare regimen that would help him heal.
“We gave him [medicated] baths every other day, and he was, like, so comfortable in the bath. He just likes being warm,” Andrea recalled. “And then we would slather him with lotion because that was what was gonna help that hair growth. And then we would put T-shirts or sweaters on him just to kind of soak it in extra.”
Transformation and Growth
Thanks to their care, Harold’s condition improved quickly. Within a couple of weeks, his peach fuzz started growing back, and his joyful personality began to shine through.
“After a week or two, we started to notice his peach fuzz growing back all over his body,” Andrea said. “It was really quickly after we brought him into our foster care that we could see that he just had this incredible personality. It’s almost like he enjoys making people laugh.”
A Little Puppy, Full of Love
One of Harold’s favorite things was being held close by his foster family. Whether they were on an outing or just relaxing, Harold loved the warmth and comfort of being cuddled.
“He loves to be held,” Andrea said. “We would take him to a lot of places, and we would hold him really close to us.”
Mistaken for Something Else
During his early days with Andrea, Harold would sometimes be mistaken for a baby or even a Sphynx cat due to his unique appearance and the diaper he wore before being fully potty trained.
“When he wasn’t fully potty trained, sometimes we would have a diaper on him, and people would say, ‘I saw you sitting over there, and I thought you were holding a baby,’ or ‘I thought you were holding a Sphynx cat.’”
A Perfect Match
After fostering Harold, Andrea found him the perfect forever home. His new family had a dog named Hippolita, a beautiful bully breed, and the two dogs bonded instantly.
“We found a perfect family for him, and they have a dog already named Hippolita, who’s a very beautiful bully breed, and she and Harold at the meet-and-greet were so sweet together and so playful,” Andrea shared. “We knew that that was gonna be a perfect home for Harold.”
A Grateful Foster Mom
Though Andrea misses Harold, she is happy knowing he has found a loving family where he will thrive. She feels fulfilled by her role in his healing journey.
“When you are able to just give all of this love and attention to a dog who really, really needs it, the reward is seeing them heal, seeing them thrive,” Andrea said. “It really is so special to be a part of that.”