Philadelphia Dog Names

Lentil is a French Bulldog with a very special cause in life. He helps kids with craniofacial issues and inspires both kids and adults alike. Lentil was born  on February 2, 2013.with life-threatening deformities in his hard and soft palate, mouth, and nose. Lentil was the only puppy to survive from his litter. All his siblings as well as himself suffered from this abnormality. The others couldn't be saved but Lentil had a fighting chance with the right foster parent. Fortunately for Lentil, the right one was there when she was needed. He was only four days old when Lindsay Condefer came into his life.

Lindsay Condefer was a volunteer with the French Bull Dog Rescue Network of Philadelphia and a pet store owner. Despite the constant care Lentil required {tube feeding every three hours} Condefer stayed by the little pup. She consulted with experts about the surgery he would need and started a Facebook page so others could follow his progress. He soon had thousands of followers.

Doctors did the surgery to repair Lentil's palate but since it was "more of a cosmetic surgery" they left the cleft in his lip. It Isn't really necessary, Dr. Alexander Reiter said, if the patient isn't really cognizant of their looks. The important thing is now he can breathe and eat properly.

Because Lentil looked so cute Dr. Reiter and colleagues at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia made Lentil an ambassador for kids with craniofacial issues. Now he somehow makes magic happen for these children, hence the nickname "the Magic Bean."

For instance, take the case of 10-year-old Giovanni Hamilton. Giovanni suffers from Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome, a genetic disorder his mom says is like “like having muscular dystrophy and dwarfism combined.” Giovanni had longed dreamed of seeing his beloved Philadelphia Eagles play live but there was never enough money to allow this pleasure.So when Giovanni posted on Facebook about his dream of seeing the team play, Condefer and Lentil jumped into action.

Condefer also manages Street Tails Animal Rescue and one of her adopting families was the quarterback coach of the Eagles John DeFilippo and his wife Kari. Condefer reached out to the DeFilippos and soon had the wheels turning. Giovanni received a call on Christmas Eve from the Eagles team inviting him to join them for their New Year's Eve game against the Cowboys. Not only that, but he and his family were driven to the game in a limousine. Afterwards Giovanni reported it was the best day of his life. If we could only all be more like Lentil, making others happy with themselves as they are.