Carbon’s road to recovery

On Monday July 9, 2018 I went to work thinking that it would be an average day. I was not prepared for what was to come. I saw a window in my normal 12 hour scheduled shift to run home, and take our 6-month-old Chihuahua Carbon out for a quick walk – as leaving her at home has really been affecting us lately; we are on a stand-by list for a highly recommended dog walker in Yaletown to get her out for us as we both work full-time.When Carbon and I got to her favorite park where she has learned to play with the other dogs in the park off leash, she did her normal business, and seemed so happy to be out. Everyone comments on how well she behaves, what a happy little dog she is, how fearless she is, and how well she listens to our commands. Then, for some reason, she decided that she had enough of the park. I am not sure if it was due to there not being any other dogs in the park, or if she just wanted to go home. She looked at me, and then just darted across the field, and all the way down the pathway that leads into the park (at total distance of approx. 1000 meters). At the other side of this pathway is a major intersection. While screaming her name at the top of my lungs, and cat whistling her, I ran after her. Carbon continued to run across the intersection… She was hit by black BMW, with dark tinted windows going at full speed, running a stale yellow light. The car stopped for a moment, and then drove off. Carbon was left on the ground, in a massive pool of her own blood, screeching in pain. I thought she was dead, or very near to it. I picked her up, held whatever I could see bleeding closed with my left hand, while holding her head stable with my right. She was biting me so hard from the pain she was in while I was running, that I started to bleed. She nipped at my face as well, causing my cheek to bleed. I ran with her past the new Parq Casino - dodging people who were standing around with their hands over their mouth as they just witnessed the horrific accident -to our vet at the Yaletown pet hospital. Thankfully they were very close, and she received immediate attention. A couple came running in after me, and provided me their contact details in case I needed a witness. They didn’t get a license plate of the vehicle, but said that they would speak to the fact that it was the driver’s fault. Unfortunately, without a license plate, or any pet insurance, their testimony can’t be used to mitigate some of the cost to aid Carbon back to health. I cannot believe that someone who hits a beautiful living animal can simply drive away. There is a special place in hell reserved for them. The cost received from the pet hospital within a couple hours for xRay’s, the drugs used to ease her pain, and a bandage placed on her arm for transportation to the emergency hospital where she would need surgery, came to $800. The surgery, and the 48 hours Carbon will need to stay in hospital pre and post surgery, will come to a quoted estimate of $6000. There is no payment plan available. The hospital required a 75% deposit before they could start any work on Carbon. The remaining cost needs to be paid when we collect her. We were already struggling to make ends meet, and we both earn a decent wage. The cost of living in Vancouver is ridiculous. We have never been ones to reach out, and have always found a way to make it through any life struggles we have been dealt. We went from struggling, to drowning, within a few hours. My girlfriend, who does not own a credit card, could see how me maxing mine out on the 75% deposit caused incredible stress. Even though she has given me all the money she has in her bank, I am still not sure how we are going to come up with the remaining 25% needed to take Carbon home after her surgery. My girlfriend mentioned ‘GoFundMe’. I am not sure how it works, and again, I hate to ask anyone for help. But, we are in a serious jam. Any help would not only be appreciated, you will forever hold a special place in our heart as you will have helped restore my faith in human kind, and you will have helped get our much loved puppy back.

The 'GoFundMe' site has asked us to clarify the following:

Who we are: Tamar Tattinger & Neil Foran, Where we are from: Vancouver BC
Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for: We are Carbon's owners
How the funds will be used (be specific as possible): All funds go straight towards Carbon's medical costs
If you intend to withdraw the money, how you plan to send the funds to the parties you're raising money for or use the money on their behalf: The money gets deposited straight into our joint bank account and is put directly towards the loan taken from the bank and the MasterCard debt