Page 78 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2026

THE
ISSUE
Madame Leota and Todd Trenchard
Samson, Butterball, Elton, Madame Leota and Lila Mae
Bruiser Lila Mae Butterball Madame Leota
story by Cherie Ward photos by Todd Trenchard
Samson
In a quaint house on Second Street in Gulfport, a plush queen-size mattress sits on the floor. A small ramp leads up to it. Three heating pads glow at night. Somewhere under a pillow, a five-pound terrier named Lila Mae might be shyly peaking from her favorite spot.
It’s the home of Todd Trenchard and the whole house is arranged around that kind of love and devotion. It’s the space he shares with his six dogs—two English bulldogs named Samson and Bruiser, a bulldog-pug mix called Butterball, and three spirited terriers—Madam Leota, Elton, and tiny Lila Mae. They rule a high-fenced courtyard, barking their disapproval at squirrels, beloved fixtures of the neighborhood.
“They’re my family,” Trenchard said. “I’m very protective of them.”
Nearly 30 years ago at the Home of Grace in Vancleave, while rebuilding his own life, Trenchard met a pup known simply as Mother Dog. She became the facility’s first therapy-type dog—a steady,
calming presence for men rebuilding their lives.
When Mother Dog went into labor, Trenchard helped deliver her puppies himself. He named the first male Homer and the first female Grace—a nod to the place that was helping him begin again. At the time, he earned just $10 a week working at Home of Grace—and every dollar went to dog food.
“Homer became like my child,” he said. “He was building my core.”
Trenchard had tried counseling and treatment programs in the past. But
what steadied him, he said, was the
daily responsibility—feeding, walking, showing up. Animals offered trust without judgment. In caring for them, he began rebuilding himself.
Today, he limits himself to six pups— though he laughed that he would have 50 if he could. All six fur babies know the rhythm of his words, the sound of treat jars, and the promise behind “outside.” They’ve bonded. They nap in piles. They
follow him from room to room. They tattle when one misbehaves. And always sleep within arm’s reach. They’re a dedicated pack.
For Trenchard, having dogs around was never just about four-legged companions. Dogs are structure. Dogs are purpose. And for nearly three decades, dogs have stood watch over a life restored—one loyal heartbeat at a time.
Todd Trenchard with Homer in 1998 at the Home of Grace in Vancleave
78 | April 2026
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