Hi. My name is Antone. Many of you Northlanders already know me. My momma says that my reputation precedes me. Ever heard of the phrase, “the good, the bad, and the ugly?” Well, I can shed new meaning on that phrase. The Ugly: Momma’s going to post several pictures of me here. See my eye? When some people look at me, all they see is my eye. You see, I have a severe eye disease called Entropion. It’s a condition that causes my eyelid to roll under, causing my eyelashes to rub against my cornea. This rubbing causes very very painful abrasions, constant tearing up, and eye infections. In 2019 I underwent a very expensive eye surgery to try to correct the problem. The specialist said I had one of the most severe cases of entropion that she had ever seen, but that we should at least try to save my eye. The other thing that people see when they look at me is that I am a pitbull mix and that I am a very big boy, weighing in at about 80 pounds. Pit bulls notoriously get bad raps because of bad people who use them in dog fighting rings. I was originally surrendered by my first owner because they hit upon hard times and could not afford to take care of my medical problems, so they brought me to Northwoods animal shelter. I lived there for 18 months. I got a lot of love from the staff, yet, because of my appearance and because of my breed reputation, as much as they worked hard to convince people that I was a great dog, I kept being passed over because of how I looked. People kept “judging the book by it’s cover” so to speak. I did get adopted out twice, But was returned within 24 hours each time. When you live in a shelter for as long as I have, it takes a little while to adjust to new surroundings. One of the reasons people kept passing me by while in the shelter, is that I would be so excited to see someone coming towards my kennel that I would run to the front of the kennel and bark, bark, bark. Picture that. An 80 pound, one- eyed, excited, scary looking pitbull mix charging at you with only a chain-link door separating us. I didn’t mean to scare people, but that’s exactly what happened. And the couple times I did get chosen, people expected me to adjust overnight, literally. I know they meant well and I’m grateful they initially got beyond my looks, But I was not given enough time to adjust to my new surroundings and be able to show them what a stable guy I am. Additionally, Usually when people adopt a dog from the shelter, they hope for a dog that does not have any medical problems. They especially don’t want to adopt a dog that will cost them thousands and thousands of dollars for correcctive surgery. Back to the word ugly. My eye makes my pretty face look mean. The condition is getting worse. It hurts me terribly, and I paw at it incessantly. It hurts so much at this point, I can barely open my eye. And when I am able to force it open, it runs like a faucet. Unfortunately, even though that first surgery proved somewhat helpful, it did not correct the problem enough. I still remain in constant pain and I am once again facing another huge surgery to either repair my eyelid or, in a worst-case scenario, actually remove my eye. Fortunately for me, a young lady named Livea Mazurek, who spends daily work-study time volunteering at Northwoods, took the time to get to know me. Her mom had seen a post about me earlier in the year, and had actually considered checking me out. Then, when Livea met me, I wormed my way into her heart....At first, I scared her. But over time she began to see my true nature: that I am a kind, sweet natured, teddy bear. One thing led to another.....Livea told her mom that she just had to have me. She did not want me to spend one more day in a shelter! So, a little over a month ago Livia and her family adopted me. My life has done a total turn around. I am showered with kisses every day. I’m very much loved. They see beyond my eye, to my very heart. To them, I am not ugly. I am beautiful. And my momma and Livea are my advocates...they encourage strangers to look beyond my appearance, step forward, and pet me. Anyone who gets beyond their initial hesitancy around me, quickly becomes an Antone convert. Remember I used the phrase “the good the bad and the ugly?” The good thing is that I am finally in my forever home. I have a brother that I love dearly and who loves me and I have been given time to settle in and show my true colors. I’m a very happy boy. The bad thing is that I am still in pain. Lots of pain. And I am going to need surgery once again. I’m going to see a specialist today to help determine what they can do to help me. The quote that my mama has been given to either repair my eyelid and/or remove my eye, is around $6,000. Normally, my mom and dad would spare no expense to help me.... That’s how much they love me. They believe that when you adopt a pet, you commit to cherish and care for it for the long haul. They are committed to do whatever it takes to relieve my pain. Y’all know that most people have been hit quite hard because of this Covid pandemic. My parents are no exception. My mom, Crystal Mazurek, is a waitress at Mr. T’s. The restaurant business has been hit very hard by this pandemic and my mom’s hours have been cut drastically over the last months. Because of this, she’s having to do something that she really would rather not have to do: establish a go-fund-me account To help pay for my surgery. Would you be willing to help defray the cost of my eye surgery? Very few people can afford even basic necessities these days, much less to dig into their pockets to help someone else. I also know That many people love me already and also care about my mom and dad. Do you know the phrase “it takes a village?” Can you Be part of my village? I really believe that if all my mom’s and dad’s friends and all the people who already know me are willing to pitch in a small amount...a dollar, five dollars, even $10 or $20, It would add up quickly. So many people feel behind the 8-ball these days. Imagine if your fur baby or your child was in massive pain and you wanted to help alleviate it, but just didn’t have the means to get them well. It’s a hard place to be. Northwoods suggested to my mom that she reach out to all my friends, and all her friends, and all the friends of those friends... ....and my Aunty PeggyAnn told my mom that people really do care. That she’s sure if they knew my plight, they’d help if they could. A drop in the bucket, quickly becomes a full bucket. If you’ve ever been to Mr. T’s and my mom has waited on you and provided you good service, would you give her a thumbs up by contributing to getting my eye tended to? She sees me suffering every day. She wants to help me feel better. Would you be willing to help her, help me? My Aunty PeggyAnn is establishing a go-fund-me to help cover surgical snd medical expenses. If you feel led to help out, please donate. You can either donate directly to this go-fund-me, or, you can make a payment directly to: Northwoods Animal Shelter In care of: Antone Mazurek Former Teddy Bear Mascot 930 Sheldon Road Iron River, MI 49935 Checks or credit card contributions are welcome. P.S. Because this is already quite long, to help you get to know me better, staff testimonials are posted below in the comments.