You won't meet a nicer pup than our 2-year-old Golden Retriever German Shepherd mix, Charlie. We'd like to take credit for it, but the truth is, he’s just a guy who was born with a big heart. And that’s exactly where his problem lies: Charlie has a congenital heart disorder called aortic stenosis that makes the passageway through his aorta around 50% smaller than a regular pup. This means that his heart has to work twice as hard to get blood to the rest of his body.

Even more disconcerting is a large soft tissue mass near his heart and lungs. Charlie will need to get some tissue samples taken from the mass which will tell us if we're dealing with a cancer (likely lymphoma) or possibly a swelling in his liver caused by a birth defect or a previous trauma. Both of these will be very costly to care for.

I am writing this for my girlfriend Mary because she won't ask for help. Charlie is the best – the kind of dog that doesn’t even eat the cat food when we leave it out! If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting him, you know just how special he is. We love Charlie so much and need help to afford the upcoming examinations and procedures. The costs are more than expected and outside of what we can afford on such short notice.

Any help is greatly appreciated as this is a time sensitive situation and we need to tackle it as soon as we can. Thank you for helping Mary and I get Charlie the medical care he needs!

- Wolfgang