On Monday, I opened the door to greet a neighbor and we saw this little guy waiting for his turn to say hello. Living close to the dog park, we assumed his owner would call him back—and with the possible fleas, ticks or a disease, he leaped over the welcome mat and dashed up the stairs, eager to meet everyone in the house. The muppet led our search party around the block and through a dog park, looking for a worried human that might recognize him.

He strutted proudly, with all that messy hair—every last, dirty, matted strand—and was not able to put his back leg down. It didn't stop him from trying to get on someone’s lap or sprinting back to whoever tossed him a fetch toy last. He gently took treats from us, and has this way of leaning in for a hug to say thanks, and hello.

We took him to the vet to check for a microchip. He didn't have that or a collar.

The investigations began: we called shelters, local senior residences, reached out to neighbors, posted online, and asked for help in every way we could. There were five Facebook posts with 400 shares. We bathed him fast when he got here but he still smelled. A local groomer spent two hours working on him and was so touched by his gentle personality, that she wanted it to be a gift. She lifted the weight off his shoulders—literally—and we're sharing a picture here (we were shocked too by the "after").

We have never been part of the dog community but WOW. Every time someone comes over, this guy turns on the charm. We think he is actually auditioning.

We took him back to the vet to find out about his leg and he didn't flinch or make a sound through the appointment (though he kept looking at my mom to see if she thought he was being a good boy). They discovered he has more going on. The leg might be an old knee injury that he learned to live with, but his bigger issue is his teeth. They have never been cared for and are badly infected. They should have come out a long time ago, and that dental disease is very likely why he has a heart murmur now. If luck brought him here, his medical issues came with it. But what's tugging at us is that he's bouncing around all happy and cuddly when he is actually in a lot of pain.

The house he ran into a few days earlier? He now guards it. We didn't have anything, so friends came right away to lend us stuff while we waited for someone to contact us. In a community where people check up on him daily, he became a bit of an icon. They call him “The Doorstep Doggy.” Based on his condition, it’s clear these health issues have been developing over time. We're starting to think he was abandoned because of it.

What we do know is that we have to move quickly with his treatment. They told us he needs an X Ray, ultrasound, medication, blood tests, the teeth extracted (that was the biggest shock, it costs thousands of dollars), special food and vaccinations. Because nobody seems to know him and he hasn't been reported missing, we need to make decisions. We don’t know his exact age (estimated to be 8-9?). This could be tricky if the tests uncover more serious conditions—no matter what, our priority is to make sure he doesn’t suffer. We will get second opinions.

We are DEFINITELY giving this dog the love he deserves but we're wrestling with how much care he needs. He just showed up, but he needs a big investment. We were encouraged to start this fund because small contributions add up really fast. We will take care of him for the rest of his life, but the big issues are a lot. We will take pictures of the receipts and share them here. Maybe you can’t donate, but we'd appreciate a share?

“The Doorstep Dog” has captured our hearts, but we really need to fix his. Thank you for your kindness and support.