Despite her adorable face and pretty coat coloring, Tigerbee Tulip was just 5 months old when left outside of a shelter in Southern California in the middle of the night.
There wasn’t any information left with her explaining why she was abandoned, but it’s more than likely because she was born with spina bifida - an abnormality of the spine in which the vertebrae don’t wrap all the way around the spinal cord.
What specifically causes spina bifida and how it is passed from one generation to the next isn’t fully understood yet, however, it’s most commonly seen as a result of uneducated/unethical breeding. Specifically of “rare” and “exotic” coat coloring of Bulldogs, like Tigerbee’s.
Despite her adorable face and pretty coat coloring, Tigerbee Tulip was just 5 months old when left outside of a shelter in Southern California in the middle of the night.
There wasn’t any information left with her explaining why she was abandoned, but it’s more than likely because she was born with spina bifida - an abnormality of the spine in which the vertebrae don’t wrap all the way around the spinal cord.
What specifically causes spina bifida and how it is passed from one generation to the next isn’t fully understood yet, however, it’s most commonly seen as a result of uneducated/unethical breeding. Specifically of “rare” and “exotic” coat coloring of Bulldogs, like Tigerbee’s.
Blue merle, lilac tri-color, blue, lavender, and chocolate merle are just some examples of “rare” or “exotic” coat colors of Bulldogs that are linked to serious health issues.
Thankfully, Tigerbee doesn’t have any serious mobility issues as a result of her spina bifida, but it does cause her to be fully incontinent...which is a polite term for saying she can’t control when she goes #1 or #2.
This is when those stylish diapers of hers come into play.
As you can imagine, a dog in diapers gets quite a bit of attention. Mom uses every opportunity to help educate people about the cost of unethical breeding for rare and exotic coat colors in Bulldogs.
For every “healthy” puppy bred to have rare/exotic coat colors, there are many more like Tigerbee that have congenital issues that are a direct consequence of bad breeding.
“People drive that market when they buy those dogs. Those coat colors are rare for genetic reasons…So while I certainly appreciate what a pretty girl Tigerbee is, she wouldn’t have spina bifida if she wasn’t merle,” Mom explains.
Through sharing Tigerbee’s rescue story, her Mom hopes to inspire more people to rescue dogs and stop supporting the unethical breeders that continue to profit from breeding unhealthy dogs for the sake of their physical appearance.
She hopes Tigerbee Tulip inspires people to consider rescuing dogs that are often overlooked, such as special needs or seniors.
“Seeing them blossom is an incomparable experience,” she says.
Other than her flashy toosh covers, you can’t even tell there’s anything different about Tigerbee! She gets the Bulldog zoomies and plays with her fur siblings just like any other dog.
"She is so fun and silly to be around," Mom describes, "she makes me smile every single day with her wiggles and general goofiness."
Tigerbee’s Mom does admit that taking on her diaper needs seemed super overwhelming at first. Not many people have experience caring for dogs with that sort of special need. It wasn’t long before she nailed down a solid diaper drill based off Tigerbee’s feeding and bathroom schedule.
Now Mom says caring for Tigerbee’s special needs is actually easier in some ways than her non-diaper dogs!
Along with zooming around the house, bossing around her siblings and not letting spina bifida slow her down, Tigerbee enjoys spending her free time in a place most people have dreaded at some point in their lives...a classroom.
Training to be a classroom therapy dog, Tigerbee joins college professor Mom to biology class in Southern California.
Classroom therapy dogs have been shown to help stimulate students’ memory and problem-solving skills, and help reduce common classroom anxieties.
Although Tigerbee’s health condition and start of her life were results of not-so-good people, Mom sees her as a reminder that people are inherently good.
“There were so many wonderful people that rallied together to make her life what it is today. The community that I have been welcomed into through Tigerbee Tulip has been unlike anything I could have expected.”
Follow Tigerbee Tulip and her siblings of all species on Instagram @tigerbeetulip Before you go, check out these 4 IG dogs that are changing opinions about rescue dogs!
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