Six years and two months ago, I found a dog on the side of the road in the national forest in Arizona. I was moving out of my apartment at age twenty and leaving college to pursue a cross-country road trip with a vague idea I’d end the summer by enrolling in massage school. I had all of my belongings in my Subaru, and all the seats were full of my stuff, but upon finding the dog, I shoved it all into the back to make room. That dog joined me on my journey and proceeded to become the love of my life! My family thought I was crazy for taking on a dog when I was young and unstable (and maybe I was a little), but I don’t regret it whatsoever. Since then, my beloved companion Harmony has been by my side through so much, both wonderful nature adventures as well as hard times and life changes! Everyone who meets her remarks on her beauty and her wonderful personality, she makes many friends every day and delights in the opportunity to have reunions with any of her/our friends (often jumping in on my hugs). She converted my family into being dog people. I absolutely feel I won the doggy jackpot. She brings so much stability comfort and joy to my life. She is truly my best friend and is loved by many.

Very unfortunately, after a winter and spring of chronic back pain and in the midst of a separate family emergency, I received the news that my beloved dog's bump on her ear was Melanoma. The tumor has been removed from her ear. We caught it early, and it was small, but they are concerned about there being malignant cells remaining that could spread. The recommended treatments could be up to $15,000 depending on how aggressive we choose to be. I come from a relatively privileged supportive family and have some amount of financial cushion to cover the treatments. And, this still feels like a huge expense to shoulder alone especially as I face uncertainty around working the physical fields I have been working in with my chronic back problems. It would be amazing to receive some financial support at this time so that money could feel like less of a factor in making the difficult decisions about how to move forward. I do not want to divert money away from the very pressing causes like humanitarian aid in Gaza, mutual aid, climate disaster, etc!! Please also prioritize giving to those causes. If you are struggling with money, there is no pressure to donate. And more then anything my ask is for you to please imagine Harmony (now 7) living a long, healthy, cancer-free, beautiful, outdoorsy, love-filled life!