Benelli's Critical Recovery

Hi everyone,

I’m putting this together on behalf of my amazing friends Aleceeya and Tim, whose sweet dog Benelli (Benny) was hit by a car just outside of their home this past Saturday. It was a traumatic and heartbreaking accident that left Benny with severe injuries, and she’s been fighting for her life ever since.

Benny is currently in critical condition. She has contusions on her lungs and has been in an oxygen chamber since the incident. Every time the emergency team tries to remove her from oxygen, her levels drop too dangerously low, so she’s not yet strong enough to undergo the surgeries she urgently needs. Despite all of this, Benny is mentally alert—she recognizes Aleceeya and Tim’s voices, tries to stand, and is showing every sign that she’s not giving up. She's trying so hard to pull through.

Her injuries are extensive. Benny’s right eye was forced out of the socket in the accident and will need to be surgically removed, and her left eye is severely damaged and bulging—so enucleation (removal) of both eyes is likely. She also has a broken clavicle and shattered shoulder blade that will require orthopedic surgery as soon as she’s stable enough for anesthesia. If the specialist determines that her shoulder and clavicle won’t heal properly, there’s also a chance that one of her front legs may need to be amputated.

On top of that, she’s going to need to stay in the oxygen chamber until her lungs are strong enough, and that alone is extremely costly.

So far, the ER visits have totaled over $12,000—and that’s just the beginning. While Benny thankfully has pet insurance, the policy caps out at $5,000, which has already been exceeded. Anything beyond that is now fully out of pocket, and the expenses are only going to grow. Tim has been fortunate to use paid time off, but Aleceeya is currently out of work to be by Benny’s side and begin emotionally healing from this experience. She works full-time hours for her company, but unfortunately, they do not offer her full-time employee status—meaning she receives no benefits like PTO, making this situation even more difficult to navigate both emotionally and financially.

We’re hoping to raise funds to help cover the ongoing and upcoming veterinary bills, oxygen care, surgeries, and the loss of income during Benny’s recovery. Every little bit helps—and if you aren’t in a position to donate, sharing this means the world too.

Also, we kindly ask that no one directs blame toward the driver involved. He is a friend and neighbor, and this was a tragic accident. He stopped immediately and has been offering ongoing emotional support to the family. He is a good person who cares deeply about what happened.

Please help us support Aleceeya, Tim, and Benny during this fight. Benny is not just a dog—she’s family, and she’s showing us that she wants to live. Let’s help her get the chance she deserves.

With all my heart,

Shelby

UPDATE: 4/19/2025

SHE IS HOME!

Yesterday, Benny underwent her enucleation (eye removal surgery) along with several other injury repairs, and late last night, she was finally discharged back home to us. We are immensely grateful and relieved.

She has a long recovery road ahead, and it’s incredibly hard seeing her struggle to stand—especially with her broken shoulder. My heart aches not seeing her beautiful mismatched blue and brown eyes anymore. But all of that is small in comparison to the overwhelming joy of having her back with us.

Even now, despite the pain and sedation, she still lights up when she sees one of us. She still gets excited for scratches. She’s subdued, likely from the meds, but there’s no doubt—she’s still our Benny.

We want to say thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts.

To everyone who donated, shared, sent kind messages, or simply held us in your thoughts: you made this possible. Tim and I have cried more than once over the outpouring of support and love for Benny. It has lifted us during our darkest moments and quite literally saved her life.

Because of you, she’s home. She’s healing. She’s still here.

We’ll never forget it.

Now for the less fun part: As overjoyed as we are to have Benny home, her vet bills have totaled over $21,000—an amount we never could’ve imagined when this all began.

Thanks to pet insurance (that will hopefullybe approved), your generous donations, and selling what we can from home, we’re now about $5,300 away from breaking even on those medical costs! It's unimaginable how much has been covered so far.

Tim and I are both looking into second jobs to help cover everything beyond the vet bills such as her ongoing care, medications, and especially the follow-up appointments to address her broken shoulder and ensure she heals as fully as possible.

If you’re able to share our story for one more round or even donate, it would mean the world to us. Every bit helps us focus on giving Benny the best recovery we can. And if you’ve already supported us, please know you’ve carried us through this in more ways than we can express.

Thank you for helping us fight for her. She’s so, so worth it.

With all our love,

Benny, Tim, and Al

UPDATE: 4/18/2025

Hi Benny's support team, we have another update. We visited last night and she's doing even better. So much so, that her vet called this morning saying she's officially out of the oxygen tank! That's been the most significant hurdle (and cost) since she was admitted on Saturday. She even stood up, despite her injured shoulder, and WIGGLED HER BUTT.

With that incredible news, we've mentioned before that the first vet stay amounted to over $12,000, and as of today, we are at an additional $7,500 with the new vet, and that's before her enucleation surgery (that will hopefully be today!) and follow up care when she returns home. So we are pleading once again to share and/or donate to our gofund.me (link in bio), venmo, or paypal to help cover these overwhelming costs. I know to some it seems like an outrageous amount, but she's family. I adopted her during college when she was just over a year old, and she’s been by my side through every chapter since—living, growing, and adventuring all over the world with me. I truly can’t imagine a future without her. So every cent and share counts and means everything to our family.

And again, we can't express enough how deep our gratitude is for the support we've received already. Tim and I have shed tears over the generosity of friends, family, and strangers alike. So thank you. You are keeping our family together by doing this.

UPDATE: 4/16/2025

A Glimmer of Hope

Tim and I just visited Benny, and we are overjoyed to share how much she has improved. Her recovery so far has been nothing short of amazing.

Physically, the swelling in her face has gone down significantly—you can now see her one eye clearly. She was tracking us with it, blinking, and even reacting to our voices. She was able to be out of the oxygen chamber for our entire visit, staying calm and alert the whole time. Despite everything she’s been through, her sweet personality shone through. She recognized us, responded to our voices, and even gave kisses. It was emotional and beautiful to witness.

We also have some hopeful news from the medical team. The orthopedic surgeon believes we can try letting her shoulder heal on its own, which could spare her from another invasive procedure. Her right eye will still need to be removed, and we’re still unsure of the extent of her brain trauma. On top of that, she’s developed pneumonia, so she’s on multiple antibiotics, which may delay treatment for her eye—but she’s fighting. She knows she’s loved, and she’s not giving up.

We truly can’t thank everyone enough for the overwhelming love and support you’ve shown us and Benny. If we haven’t responded to your messages, please know it’s not because we haven’t seen them or appreciated them—things have been so chaotic, but your words and kindness mean the world to us.

We are still short of our financial goal, and any amount—no matter how small—helps us give Benny the continued care she needs. Sharing this fundraiser with others is just as powerful. Thank you for standing by us. We’re holding onto hope, and we know Benny is too.

With love and gratitude,

Benny, Aleceeya, and Tim