We had the pleasure of sharing part of Mugsy's Pet Photography Session by Nicole Begley Photography { here } earlier in the week. Today we get to share the rest of the beautiful images along with Mugsy's inspiring rescue story as told by his owner Karen...
"My husband and I got married ( Karen and Rocco ) in September of 2007 and purchased a house in Long Lsland that came equipped with a doggie door and a yard any dog would die for! We decided that in December we were ready to add to our family and adopt a dog. I was working at New York Methodist Hospital at the time and one of the nurses in the operating room rescued pit bulls. She told me that she had the perfect match for us and texted me pictures of a dog she recently rescued. I showed them to my husband and although reluctant, stated that we would “test him out” for a week to see if he was a good fit."
"Which brings us to his present life - we rescued Mugsy and since that time he has been living the life! During our stint in Long Island, Mugsy had many a days at the beach, swimming and chasing surfers in the waves of Long Beach. He has also become well-versed in sailing, given that we purchased a small sailboat and took him out every time we went sailing. He has traveled to see his extended family in Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey and Georgia. He has also taken many a-vacation to Vermont and all down the Eastern seaboard. He goes everywhere we go - in fact, we do not plan vacations unless he can come with us. I just bought a new car and made sure it was a good fit for Mugsy as well."
"Recently, we were devastated to learn that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Both my husband and I are physicians and noticed that he had a mass growing in his neck. We were fortunate enough to find the best care in the area at PVSEC where he underwent a thyroidectomy and 4 rounds of chemo and radiation therapy. We are happy to report that he has not had any metastasis to this point and is doing very well. We feel blessed and thank god every day that this little man has come into our lives and enriched us they way he has - in fact, he will soon be a big brother to our new baby (human) very shortly and we just know that he will love this little one the way he loves and protects us."
"We have discussed adoption in the event we lose our buddy and would ONLY adopt Pitbulls in the future - we believe that adopted dogs know and appreciate their new lives - we know Mugs does!!"
"My husband and I got married ( Karen and Rocco ) in September of 2007 and purchased a house in Long Lsland that came equipped with a doggie door and a yard any dog would die for! We decided that in December we were ready to add to our family and adopt a dog. I was working at New York Methodist Hospital at the time and one of the nurses in the operating room rescued pit bulls. She told me that she had the perfect match for us and texted me pictures of a dog she recently rescued. I showed them to my husband and although reluctant, stated that we would “test him out” for a week to see if he was a good fit."
"The prelude to Mugsy coming to us that winter is that he was born in Hawaii and adopted/purchased by a man in the military. He was apparently transferred to Staten Island and brought Mugsy (at the time, his name was Buddy) with him to his new home. He lived down the street from my friend who worked at NYM (who eventually rescued him) and she would see him everyday tied up in the back yard, looking sad and lonely. She asked the owner if it would be alright to take him for a daily run which he agree to. After a month, however, she no longer saw Mugsy in the backyard. It was a cold, mid November day when she found out that the man had skipped his rent and taken off, leaving Mugsy locked in an abandoned car in the back yard, freezing and starving. She subsequently rescued him from his car and brought him to her house."
"Which brings us to his present life - we rescued Mugsy and since that time he has been living the life! During our stint in Long Island, Mugsy had many a days at the beach, swimming and chasing surfers in the waves of Long Beach. He has also become well-versed in sailing, given that we purchased a small sailboat and took him out every time we went sailing. He has traveled to see his extended family in Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey and Georgia. He has also taken many a-vacation to Vermont and all down the Eastern seaboard. He goes everywhere we go - in fact, we do not plan vacations unless he can come with us. I just bought a new car and made sure it was a good fit for Mugsy as well."
"Recently, we were devastated to learn that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Both my husband and I are physicians and noticed that he had a mass growing in his neck. We were fortunate enough to find the best care in the area at PVSEC where he underwent a thyroidectomy and 4 rounds of chemo and radiation therapy. We are happy to report that he has not had any metastasis to this point and is doing very well. We feel blessed and thank god every day that this little man has come into our lives and enriched us they way he has - in fact, he will soon be a big brother to our new baby (human) very shortly and we just know that he will love this little one the way he loves and protects us."
"We have discussed adoption in the event we lose our buddy and would ONLY adopt Pitbulls in the future - we believe that adopted dogs know and appreciate their new lives - we know Mugs does!!"
. Images by Nicole Begley Photography .
We send our best wishes to Mugsy and his family and hope that he is well and makes a
full recovery and that all goes well for Karen & Rocco's first baby due soon too!
full recovery and that all goes well for Karen & Rocco's first baby due soon too!
With thanks to Mugsy, Karen, Rocco & Nicole Begley Photography
for sharing their session and wonderful story with us!
for sharing their session and wonderful story with us!
To see more of Nicole Begley Photography's portfolio head on over to
For more rescue stories and adoptions go { here }
