On Sunday afternoon, a delivered prom dress saved my dog’s life. I’m 18 years old, and I only came home from a friend's house at 4:30 PM because my dress had arrived. My parents were both at work and weren't expected back until 8:00 PM. If that package hadn't been delivered, Haavi would have been alone for another four hours, and he wouldn't be here today.

When I got home, our other dogs greeted me, but Haavi was missing. I panicked, thinking he had gotten out of the electric fence, and ran through the whole house searching every room. Finally, I looked out the sliding glass door to the deck. There I found Haavi, our 150lb Bouvier des Flandres, covered head to toe in blood.

He had been mauled by a predator in our own driveway, but in a miracle of survival, he managed to walk around to the other side of the house and crawl onto his dog bed on the deck. That small detail likely saved his life. Without that bed, we never would have been able to move him.

I was alone and 40 minutes away from my mom. I spent that time sobbing, terrified because I couldn't move him on my own, and I thought he was going to die right in front of me with nothing I could do to help. I just stayed by his side, applying pressure to his wounds while he looked at me with teary eyes. With the help of a neighbor, we finally got him into our SUV and to the vet. He spent 6 agonizing hours in surgery as they worked to stitch and staple his incredibly severe wounds.

Why We Need Help

Haavi is a fighter. After surgery and days of being unable to move, he finally stood up for the first time this morning with our help. However, he is not out of the woods yet. He still requires further surgery to repair his deep wounds. As a family with one child in college and another about to start college, these multi-thousand-dollar emergency bills are an immense burden. We are doing everything we can, but we need help to give our 'gentle giant' the second chance he deserves.

Paying it Forward

Every dollar donated goes directly toward Haavi’s surgery, medications, and recovery. However, we want this "living miracle" to mean something even bigger. Haavi has a long journey ahead, but he is surrounded by love; unfortunately, many animals at the APA Adoption Center are still waiting for their second chance.

To honor Haavi’s incredible resilience and the miracle of him surviving that afternoon, any funds raised beyond his medical bills will be donated to the APA. We want to support their tireless work in providing life-saving medical care and finding "forever homes" for pets in need across our community. By helping Haavi, you are also helping us give back to an organization that ensures no animal has to face their hardest moments alone. Thank you for your kindness and for helping us bring our gentle giant home.