Hi! I'm Megan Perkins, and many of you know my friend Ron Redmon and his incredible dog, Duke. In May, Duke had surgery to repair a ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament (comparable to a human's ACL). It's what human athletes call blowing out a knee.

He recovered well from the surgery on his left leg and returned to playing and being a dog, but when he did, he blew out the other one!

Duke's surgeon is a specialist in Lake County who does dozens of these surgeries. Instead of repairing the ligament, it stabilizes the knee differently, so the ligament becomes unnecessary! It changes the angle of his knee joint and puts in a metal plate. The surgeon's own Laborador did the same thing, blowing out one knee and the other.

The joint is very stable after this procedure, so Duke will be able to run and play and love on his furry and human friends again. He'll have another two-month recovery but will be the boisterous and happy fellow we know him to be.

The cost of each surgery is $4,680. We are hoping to raise money to pay for the second surgery.

Many folks knew about the Redmon house fire earlier this year - the week before Duke's first surgery. Thank goodness for insurance! Ron and his family are doing okay and rebuilding their home, but this 2nd surgery for Duke is a hardship. Duke has comforted so many over the years - from fire victims to first responders to everyday people needing a smile. His spirit is so big, so generous, so accepting. Please help me help Ron return Duke to good health!