Fund Stitch's Healing Journey

Meet Stitch, our wonderful 1 year old American Staffordshire Terrier. We rescued Stitch a year ago with the goal of training him as a therapy dog for hospitalized veterans, and to serve as Brendon's PTSD service animal to better help him navigate the world and mitigate his symptoms. We recently discovered that Stitch had ruptured the CCL in both knees (the doggy version of the ACL, OUCH). Consequently, Stitch will need two surgeries to repair his knees so he can live a functional, pain free life. Stitch is very active, and thrives in his roles as a service and therapy dog in training. Help us ensure he can continue to live life to the fullest, and help others do the same!

Stitch is in training with Om Obedience, and tests for his Canine Good Citizen certificate soon, the next step towards his certification as a therapy animal. He was rescued from PAWS New England, and his background is unclear, making it uncertain if his injuries are the product of abuse or just being a playful pup.

Stitch went to Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists on 6/17, which is when we got the news that he needed to have both of his CCLS repaired. We were anticipating that he only needed one surgery and the team found that his left knee had scar tissue built up already. He is scheduled for his first surgery in 7/21 on his right leg, as that shin bone is almost done growing. He will get his second surgery once he has healed and his left shin bone is done growing. His team does not know what happened to Stitch to cause this issue, but all we know is that Stitch was a stray puppy at 8-10 weeks old before he was found by Paws New England and offered to us. Once he was found, he got his basic medical needs met while at foster and then sent straight to us. He hadn’t displayed any symptoms of pain or discomfort until 6/10 when he was brought in for allergy testing. He woke up that morning being unable to put pressure on his left foot. Luckily, he was scheduled for an allergy shot the next day and the team at NEAMC told us to ask for a sedated xray expedited to getting him the help he needs.

Many of you who know him from training or Brendon’s daily posting of him and can see that he is in good spirits. He is the biggest ham and steals all the hearts of the other parents at trainings. In order to ensure that he lives a full and active life we are asking for your help. We have been quoted up to $7,700 for one leg, we will have to pay this 2x, and this does not include the vet visits, sedated xray, and surgery consult that we have already paid for. Many of you may know, that Brendon is disabled by the VA as he proudly served in the coat guard after he graduated from high school. As a result, he struggles with PTSD that has shown significant improvement with therapy, medication management, and the love of his two dogs (Sadie and Stitch).

We are thankful for any amount of support that you can provide to us during this difficult time. The stress of two surgeries on the horizon and the medical bills has been taking a toll on our family. We will do anything to ensure that Stitch is well taken care of and able to live a healthy life.