In Loving Memory of Bunker 🌈🕊️🤍

In my honor, the Bunker Fund was created by Cavalier Rescue Foundation of Arizona, to give sick and neglected Cavaliers the same chance at survival that I had.

Bunker’s Story

Hello, my name is Bunker, and on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, I crossed the Rainbow Bridge. This is my story…

I spent the first six months of my life in a large-scale breeding facility in Iowa. When the breeder no longer had use for me or my siblings, she planned either to destroy us or send us to a dog auction, hoping to sell us to another breeder.

We were transported from Iowa to Missouri, where the auction was held. Upon arrival, tags were placed around our necks—mine read #249. One by one, dogs were paraded in front of strangers while a man shouted numbers into a microphone. The atmosphere was loud, frightening, and overwhelming. When it was our turn, my siblings and I trembled as people poked and prodded at us. Moments later, I heard the word “SOLD”. My brother and I were taken away, while my sisters disappeared into the crowd.

We were crated in a van and driven for two long days. When the doors finally opened, sunlight warmed my face, and kind voices spoke gently to me. For the first time, I felt grass beneath my paws. This was my new family. I was safe. I was loved.

Those first days of freedom were filled with joy—warm baths, healthy food, fresh water, cuddles, and the comfort of sleeping in a soft bed with my mom. But after only six days, I became gravely ill. My lungs filled with fluid, and I struggled to breathe. My mom rushed me to the vet, then to a specialty hospital, where doctors explained I needed an emergency surgery that cost $9,000 and carried only a 70% chance of survival.

That night, they opened my chest to flush my lungs. I woke up in an oxygen chamber—another cage. I tried to fight. I wanted to feel the grass again. I wanted to curl up in bed with my mom. But my little body could not keep going. At just 7 months old, I crossed the Rainbow Bridge, knowing what it meant to be truly loved.

After my passing, it was discovered that my body was filled with E. coli, traced back to the unsanitary conditions at the breeding facility. My mom fought for me, filing complaints with the USDA, which resulted in action against those responsible.

Though I only knew freedom and love for seven short days, those days meant everything.

✨ In memory of #249, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the [Bunker Fund] to help save others like me.