This is my boy Apollo, but I and my family have affectionately called him Baba for so long that he barely responds to his own name. He has been my baby since he was 15 weeks old. He saved me from going off the deep end after losing my dog Zeus, and many times since then. In 2024 I found out that Apollo has arthritis in his left knee and dysplasia in his right hip. These were things I knew he had a bigger chance of developing but always prayed they wouldn't get him. For the last year we've been keeping him comfortable with pain meds and a more laid-back lifestyle than when he was a pup.

However on Sunday July 13th, as Apollo was jumping into his grandma's bed, an action he's done probably thousands of times over the last 6 years, he screamed. The vet has been able to determine that he's torn a major ligament in his knee (the equivalent of an ACL tear in a human) which is extremely painful.

The options are a lifetime of heavy pain medications or surgery to repair the ligament. I was told these surgeries can cost $8,000-$10,000 per leg, but have got him in with a surgeon that can do it for less. This fundraiser is not just for his surgery, but exams/medications and equipment so that we can preserve his quality of life.