Hi there, my name is Meghan and I am reaching out to seek help on behalf of my good friends Jesse and Bailey and their dog Atari.

Atari is a 5-year-old French Bulldog with a big personality and endless energy. His personal slogan is for sure "Ball is Life". This past Tuesday, January 17th Atari was outside enjoying the backyard. Upon returning inside, Bailey noticed that Atari was limping and avoiding putting weight on one of his back legs. Things quickly progressed from a small limp to Atari being unable to use his back legs at all, dragging them around while crying out. It was apparent something was seriously wrong, and Bailey and Jesse rushed to their veterinarian.

They soon found out that Atari was suffering from IVDD: three of the discs in his back had ruptured, the pressure on his spinal cord had paralyzed Atari from the waist down and he was in extreme pain. The Vet immediately sent them to a Neurological Specialist at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center. There they were given two options: Have emergency surgery or put their 5-year-old furbaby to sleep. The vet let them know that while the surgery is no guarantee that Atari would ever walk again (a 50-50 chance), the surgery would alleviate the pain he was in.

For Jesse and Bailey, Atari is their world. After a long, tearful discussion, they decided to go forward with the surgery. The goal for this GoFundMe is only for the cost of their visits and surgery so far. Atari is still at Pacific Northwest Pet ER, and thus far has not regained movement of his back legs. Time will tell but they are envisioning what life will look like with a special needs dog: wheelchair, ramps for their home, and rehab for Atari.

On top of this sudden and very scary reality, last month Jesse was involved in a life-changing accident as well. On December 23rd during the winter ice storm that hit the Pacific Northwest- Jesse, an arborist, was on a job removing a massive tree that had fallen across a home. While working to remove the tree, Jesse's right arm was crushed. He had surgery on the 5th of this month to try to repair the multiple bones and nerve damage. He currently does not know when he will be able to return to work or if he will have use of his right hand.

They are dealing with a lot right now, and I wanted to help out however I can. If you can spare any donations toward Atari's growing medical bills and rehabilitation Bailey and Jesse would be greatly appreciative. Please share with friends and let's help to give some peace to a family that could really use it after a month of hell.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story.