When I first fostered, and later adopted Athena, she was afraid of most things, would growl at men/most visitors, and frequently urinated in the house. But with patience, love, and care, she slowly blossomed and many of her quirks began to correct themselves. Her playful, cuddly, goofy personality began to shine, and she became my family.

When I officially adopted her a year ago, I knew there would be medical and daily expenses, and I was prepared for that responsibility with a plan of action and a little nest egg. But of course life never goes as planned and that financial responsibility has become a large burden. Due to irresponsible designer breeding, since rescuing her, she has had constant medical needs— from allergies, incontinence, bladder stones, cystitis, to special food, and torn ligaments.

Recently, while I was away, Athena was chased by her two doggy friends and slipped, tearing her second CCL (the canine equivalent of an ACL), happening only a year after the first.

Unlike the first surgery, we faced a lot of complications this time around. Upon arriving home Athena’s incision began bleeding immediately. She also became extremely anxious and hard to console this time, needing a lot more anxiety medication. After urgent calls with vets and lots of tears, I ended up making three 3-hour round trips in three days just to stabilize her recovery. Each visit adding more medications and hundreds more dollars to an already overwhelming pile of bills.

Now, a week post surgery, Athena is finally on the right path to healing — but we still have a long road ahead until she can be her goofy, happy self again.

This has come at a particularly difficult time due to unforeseen financial circumstances, leaving me struggling to cover the thousands in expenses.

Athena has been through so much, and remains a resilient, happy & spicy girl. She deserves the chance to live an active healthy lifestyle despite the terrible genetics handed to her through irresponsible breeding. If you are able to contribute, any amount will go directly toward her recovery and care. Thank you for helping us move forward on this journey.