06/26/2026
We are writing this on behalf of our client Mary Scheffke, the founder of Chicago French Bulldog Rescue, because she is too heartbroken today to find the words herself.
Tulip has passed peacefully with Mary Scheffke by her side.
Tulip was found outside. She came to this rescue, as so many of CFBR's dogs do, because there was nowhere else for her to go. She was diagnosed with an aggressive thyroid cancer. Her surgeon told Mary that she had never seen tumors of that size, in that location, in a dog as small as Tulip.
On June 11, Tulip was scheduled for surgery to remove that cancer. The night before, the Board of Directors of Chicago French Bulldog Rescue cancelled it. Mary went to court and filed an emergency motion asking the court to allow the surgery and to restore her access to the rescue's funds to pay for it. The court granted that motion. Within the hour of receiving the court's order, Mary called to schedule the surgery. That is who she is.
When asked, all three of Tulip's doctors, her surgeon, her radiologist oncologist, and her treating physician, said that if Tulip were their own dog, they would have done the surgery. So should we.
The surgery went beautifully. In the twenty-four hours that followed, Tulip was s***ky and happy. She ate. She bit at clipboards and pens after her surgery. She had the zoomies at home with Mary and played her favorite games. She was, by every measure, full of life and full of fight.
Then, more than twenty-four hours after surgery, she took a sudden and unexpected turn. Despite everything her doctors did, Tulip had suffered nerve damage and could no longer swallow or breathe properly. Her body could not recover.
Mary made the most difficult decision a person can make for an animal they love, and helped Tulip pass peacefully. She was not alone. Her doctors and techs asked to be in the room with her. In just a few days, this little dog had made that kind of impression on the people who cared for her.
The alternative to surgery would have been certain death, after palliative care that would have allowed those tumors to continue to grow, to choke her, or to spread. Mary chose to fight. The team at VCA Aurora fought alongside her. Tulip fought too, with every bit of the s***k and personality that made the doctors and staff fall in love with her.
We are as proud of Mary Scheffke as we are of every doctor and tech at VCA Aurora who gave this dog every possible chance at life. This is what this rescue was founded to do. It is not always easy. Some days it is the hardest thing in the world.
Rest easy now, Tulip. The girl who played games with Mary, who had the zoomies, who bit every pen and clipboard she could find in the hospital, and who was so full of life that even the people who met her for the first time could not help but love her.
Please give Mary some time. She loved this dog dearly, and today is a very hard day.
R Tamara de Silva and Jonathan Lubin
Counsel for Mary Catherine Scheffke
