b'THE ART OF DOGPerfectly Imperfectby Anna Cooke Photography by Jacqui SillaSome of us have a lifelong love affair with a particularProjects facility.breedofdog,thereasonswhichareasuniqueandIt took less than one minute to fall deeply in quirky as someones taste in whiskey. Single malt orlovewiththisprettylittlegirl,saidCarmen. She blended? Neat or on the rocks?needed a lot of help, head to toe, Beauty, in the eye of the behold- but I knew she would be beauti-er,takesonamoreprofoundful and healthy within weeks. meaning when it is divinely cre- Atfirst,Lulu,theother ated. ThereisadogforeveryEnglishBulldogtheBarketts heart.previouslyadopted,didnot CarmenBarkettslovewarm to Lola right away. Lulu affairwithEnglishBulldogskeptgivingmetheside-eye, began in her early 20s, when herCarmen said, laughing. Now the then-boyfriendgiftedherantwoarefriends,althoughthe irresistibly adorable puppy.Sheolder Lola tires easily of Lulus namedthedogBeaudink.antics and gregarious personality. WhiletheboyfrienddidntThe weeks Carmen origi-last,CarmensloveforEnglishnally estimated it would take for Bulldogs was sealed forever.Lolatobecomehealthierhas Overtheyears,Carmenturned into months, and thou-andherhusband,Harry,haveLola Barkett sandsofdollars.Thankfully, shared their home with a total ofCarmen is all-in when it comes eight English Bulldogs, all of them rescues. Earlier, thisto the health and well-being of Lola and Lulu. And year, she adopted her newest rescue, Lola, from MercyHarrywell, when it comes to helping dogsHarry FullProject,afoster-basedrescueorganizationinnever waivers on his commitment to Carmen. Tampa. Lola had been used as a breeder dog her entireCarmen was born at MacDill Air Force Base in life. As long as she popped out a litter of puppies everyTampa, and grew up an Air Force brat, traveling all over heat cycle, with little to no recovery time in between,the country. Although she studied fine art and majored she was a money-making machine for the breeder. Sixinbusiness,hercareerwasensconcedincorporate years is the average age breeding females stop produc- banking and law. ing. Once Lola was no longer able to have puppies, theOne weekend, while visiting a friend in Chicago, breederdeemedheruseless,andowner-surrenderedCarmenhadthemostvividdream.Itwasabout her to Mercy Full Project.opening a retail shop in a white cottage with black and She was in very bad shape recalls Heydi Acuna,white striped awnings.Mercy Full Projects founder and director. Severe healthThedreamfeltsoreal,Ihadtodrawitto issues, including urinating blood, lots of it. What littlecapture all of the details, Carmen recalls. Twelve years teeth remained in her mouth were in need of extrac- after that dream, and still deeply rooted in the corporate tion. She was used, abused then discarded, said Heydi.world, Carmen was on her way to meet a guidance As soon as Carmen heard there was an EnglishcounseloratUSFtodiscusspursuingaMasters Bulldoginneedofhelp,shedrovetoMercyFullDegree. Continued on page 36 g34 THE NEW BARKERwww.TheNewBarker.com'