FOR THE LOVE OF SCOUT

Hi.  My name is Todd.  I am a single man, living in Los Angeles with my two dogs, Buddy and Scout.  Financially, things have been tough for the last several years.  Since the recession, I just haven't been able to get back on my feet.  Every time I tell myself it can't get any worse, it does.  I've been unemployed for a lot of the last year, doing odd jobs lasting a week or two, but no consistent paycheck coming in to help me get back on my feet.

This story is only partly about my financial situation, which is dire.  My doctor put me on disability a few weeks ago because of advanced arthritis in my left hip.  The pain from the arthritis keeps me awake nights, and the months of getting just two to three hours of sleep, was taking its toll.  Unfortunately, because I worked outside of California for most of 2014, and was mostly unemployed for the part of 2014 I was in California, my disability payment doesn't come close to covering my expenses.  I'm scheduled for surgery on my hip, but that is a month or two out, so I have been struggling.

But through it all, at the end of the day, I have Buddy and Scout.  I got Buddy almost ten years ago when he was eight weeks old.  Two years later, we brought Scout into our family.  True to her namesake, the tomboy in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Scout has run the house ever since.





Buddy and Scout mean the world to me.  I have suffered all my life from clinical depression.  Buddy came into my life at a time when even my therapist was beginning to wonder if I had lost my capacity to love.  Buddy and Scout became the proof that I had not.  Opening my heart to these two amazing dogs changed, and quite possibly saved, my life.

Last weekend, I was rubbing Scout's little belly and noticed a large mole on her stomach that I'd never seen before.  First thing Monday morning, I called the vet and arranged to bring Scout in to have the mole looked at.  Concerned, the vet took a sample for testing.  Last night, I got the call that I have been dreading...  the mole is cancer.

Scout needs surgery, as soon as possible, to remove the growth.  Additionally, any other lumps on her need to be checked to make sure they are benign.  The vet says that the surgery can  be curative and she might be fine after the growth is removed.  

I am moving ahead with the surgery.  Today, we had bloodwork and xrays taken to clear her for surgery next Tuesday (June 30).  Monday's visit to check the mole was $350.  Paying for the visit today emptied my bank account and I still owe $110 to them.  The estimate for the surgery is $1600-2000.  The followup testing of any other lumps will also be "expensive."

I started this crowdfunding page to help me pay for Scout's medical bills through this...  I set the goal at $5000 randomly, but wanted to be sure that her post-surgery follow up will also be covered.  

For the last few months, since things got really bad financially, I have been telling myself that when I got back on firm ground, I would figure out how to set up some kind of a charitable trust to help people like me, with no or low income pay for their companion animals medical bills.  I know first hand the pain and helplessness of not having the money to get the proper medical care for my dogs.  I've never tried crowdfunding before, but if it works for Scout, I would love to expand and get that trust going.  

But first, Scout.   There aren't words enough for me to express how much that little girl boxer means to me or how much I love her.  I've raised her since she was eight weeks old and in turn, she has given me more love than I ever thought I would have in my life.  Please help me make sure that she gets the medical care and attention that she deserves.  Any money collected above what is necessary for Scout's bills, I promise that I will make sure goes to help another pet owner in need.