Help Us Give Cowboy a Second Chance at Life

Hi friends :) Thanks for lending your ear to this special cause, so close to our hearts.

The Story:

On New Year's Eve, our dear friends Aaron and Caitlin were on vacation when they found this innocent dog on the streets of Mexico. They were at an event when they noticed him handing out his paw to anyone who would take it. Offering his paw was, in essence, his appeal - he was reaching out, pleading for help, hoping someone might reach back. As he moseyed along with a limp, apparently hampered by an injured front left leg, they knew he was in need of serious medical attention. The beautiful souls they are, our friends scooped the pup up and took him back to where they were staying. And after giving him a MUCH-needed bath and taking him to a vet, they loaded him into their car and brought him home to California, in hopes of finding him a forever home.

Already having three dogs in their care, they asked us to foster the boy, who they dubbed Gaucho (which loosely translates to Latin Cowboy). Since crossing the border and being placed in our care, we started calling him Cowboy, a name he immediately took to.

Cowboy is a German Shepherd mix, a sweet soul born with the gift of melting hearts faster than a microwave melts cheese. When our friends found him, he weighed less than 60 lbs, severely malnourished and clearly in need of some tender love and care. When he arrived at our door in Studio City, we could feel his bony ribcage just by petting him. But with regular, healthy, gravy-licious meals, he's already put on 10 lbs! Turns out he's a big fan of food...like, any food. He even eats his doctor-prescribed pills like candy. Good boy.

The Situation:

Upon taking him to get a full physical, the vet suggested Cowboy must be at least 7-8 years old, pointing to the troubling state of his oral health. Most of his teeth are chipped and worn down, and doctors say many of them need to be removed as soon as possible to alleviate the pain he must be managing. The necessary dental procedure has been quoted to us at roughly $2500.

On top of that, as mentioned, Cowboy walks with a noticeable limp in his front left leg - he takes a hop step as he goes, which is why we lovingly refer to him as "Ol' Hop-a-Long." Upon examining his X-Rays, the vets tell us his leg suffers from a fracture that obviously has not healed correctly. While he's managed to soldier on as best he can, the vet's recommendation is that we resort to amputation. This drastic procedure has been quoted to us at roughly $3800! Costs aside, we are hesitant to proceed without a second opinion (gimpy as it may look, he really does use his leg, especially getting up and down stairs!) Regardless of our course of action here, Cowboy's current medical needs cost far more than we're able to afford at the moment - we've been told he's practically uninsurable at this point.

At first glance, Cowboy's story would appear to be a cruel reminder that life just isn't fair, and can be downright mean for no good reason. But spend 5 minutes with him and you'll see, he's happy as a clam - so excited to meet new people, and just be part of the party...part of a family. His warm spirit truly is something to behold, so full of life and so utterly infectious. The poor kid just wants food, hugs, and a good home, so we're doing our very best to do right by him.

Cowboy was born into a chaotic, confusing, and unforgiving world. He's spent his days living wounded on the streets, forced to find a way to survive it all, on his own. But thanks to the heroic hearts of our animal-loving friends, he's finally made it to a safe place where he can rest his head, and wake up to a warm breakfast. Yay, Cowboy.

And though we don't know exactly what he's been through, we can report that he is the living embodiment of gratitude, overjoyed with the company of whoever's around, and thrilled to receive whatever he has coming to him (his prized possessions include a furry stuffed sloth he chews on, and a teddy bear he cuddles to sleep).

The Ask:

If you're at all able to chip in, please help us do right by this beautiful orphan pup with whatever you can offer, be it $5 or $50. All donations will go directly to Cowboy's surgery bills and medication costs. And if there ends up being any money leftover, we'll put the remaining funds toward his grooming appointments, and let him pick out some new toys to play with...after all he's been through, he deserves his own collection.

Every time we walk him, we're met with the overwhelming sense of knowing that he's done nothing wrong to deserve the physical trauma he's been enduring. He was merely dealt a bad hand...and he needs our help to change his stars.

The Goal:

Our hope (and his), is that we can raise enough money to ease Cowboy's pain, and find him a loving home to spend the next chapter of his life. If you or anyone you know is in the market for a new pup, please share our campaign with them, and make sure they watch the YouTube video at the top of the page! Please help us make a difference for this precious little Cowboy, and join us in assuring him the best is yet to come.

We are fundraising to cover Cowboy's medical expenses and surgery. If you can be of aid, we'd truly be indebted to you on his behalf.

With love and gratitude,

Surane, Jesse, Aaron & Caitlin