Hello,

My name is Anna, and I am raising funds for a wonderful furry boy named Rocky.

Rocky came into my life very unexpectedly, though at the point where he needed me, and I desperately needed him.

He is an about 9-month-old mastiff/black lab mix who was found tied up to a pole by an apartment building in San Francisco. Alone, scared, malnourished, limping, and dirty, no one missing him, no one looking for him. That was checked, along with the presence, or rather an absence of a tag. A person who found him, could not keep him due to owning two dogs who would not accept him, and posted a plea for a foster on Facebook. I saw the post and kept returning to it for a few days, but nothing changed there; no one wanted him. I asked for the update and in response I was asked if I could help, as no one else would. A few days turned into two months now, and no one still wants Rocky, but I do! In his head and heart, I am his; and in mine, he is mine. He is my child and follows me everywhere like a true toddler if you know what I mean. If after a week or two I could have sent him to a different parent, now both of us would have been devastated even if there had been one pretending for a role.

As for me, I was a 56-year-old former music teacher turned into a decade-long caregiver of my two parents-in-law, soon to be 87 and 92, ailing from (among other things) Parkinson's, dementia (both), and regular psychotic episodes due to both diseases. I stayed inside the house almost 24/7 because this was the need; they were not safe alone. Food shopping together with my husband once a month felt like a trip, and an occasional ocean glance out of the car window was like a true vacation for the soul. I was tired, depressed, and bitter; the word "happiness" had no meaning for me for years. I did not complain; I am used to taking life as it is, and I am not ready to drop them at the nursing home knowing that's the end of them.

When Rocky came into my life, he has changed it completely. He is a lot of work in addition to my existing load, but I don't mind. He sheds so much that every time I clean the floors (at least 3 times per day, as my husband has allergies), it's enough to create a new long-haired chihuahua. You need to be right there and ready with the rag when he drinks; if you are late to wipe his face, there will be puddles everywhere he decides to go. He snores like a man and licks my glasses off my face. But he is so, so, so much love and he is not refraining to prove it! I get to go out of house for at least half an hour three times a day every day, this just has to be arranged with the family members. I walk fast and simultaneously get my resistance training, for he is young and strong, and not very good at walking on the leash yet, but we are working on that and the other skills too. Rockety-Rocks taught me to smile and laugh again; I am talking to him the whole day, he MAKES my day. Thanks to Rocky, I am no longer taking blood pressure medication—I do not have high blood pressure anymore! He makes me sane and happy; he makes my life worth living, not just a list of endless chores and responsibilities. I feel alive again!

My Rocky needs medical help that I unfortunately cannot afford for him. The limp he came with, needed initial attention. He saw a vet, but the x-ray was so pricey that it was simply too much for me to pay. His whole leg is generally smaller than the other; even in the shoulder area, there is visible muscle atrophy. He used to partially step on that leg and limp, but now he is not even doing that. Rocky is clearly in pain; his paw dangles, and when he is tired of jumping on three, he just drags it along, turned inside in an unnatural way. He sleeps most of the day, trembling from pain, barely opens his eyes, makes it out for a few minutes when the pain meds work their way into his system, and just plops down on the asphalt. He does not even react to the toys or tasty foods he used to love.

Please help me help him. I hate to see him shaking in pain and hear his whining in such a tiny voice, his eyes quietly asking for help that I can't give him. He needs to see a vet; he needs to have diagnostic x-rays and surgery to fix this paw. Even an amputation is still better than being in pain, but I am not even in the position to give him that. I do not want this to be the reason to surrender him; he was discarded once, and I simply refuse to do that to him again because he is not a piece of trash, he is a part of me now, and he is worthy.

Please help me save this beautiful, loving, kind, and funny boy. Saving him, you will also save me from the colorless, mundane, and depressing existence my life used to be before he was put in my path, and I in his.

Both of us are very grateful for any help.

Sincerely,

Anna and Rocky