This photo is me and my heart hound Gandalf. He’s a 180 lb Irish Wolfhound, and one of the gentlest, most amazing creatures I’ve been blessed to love. I’ve never done this before, but circumstances find me in a difficult spot that I’m struggling to find my way through. We had to move unexpectedly at Christmas, just after the loss of my older dog, a boxer. Gandalf's best friend, big brother, and guide to all things. Walking solo, without his full pack, has been hard for my boy.

In February, outside our new home, we were out walking, and he was spooked by a skateboarder jumping loudly on his board right behind us. Gandalf bolted, slipped, fell, and broke his right hind leg. So started a long, expensive, and difficult journey to get him healthy, largely in part to a surgeon that really shouldn’t be allowed to practice. Happily, after 7 months, two surgeries, and a terrible MRSA staph infection in between, his bone is healed and we are working on building his strength and learning to play again.

Unfortunately, between the initial emergency vet, the first failed surgery, the critical wound care due to the infection, and then the second amazing surgeon who saved his leg, I’m buried in $25K of vet bills and struggling to figure out how to pay them - Gandalf and I need help.