Meet Hank. Hank is our ~3-year-old German Shepherd rescue. Hank was rescued from Animal Resource Center in December 2022. Hank was found abandoned near a barn in the middle of winter. The shelter tried to find his owner, but nobody came forward. Hank was found with his collar and leash attached, so we can only speculate somebody dumped him. He was severely underweight and trusted no one. We randomly found Hank browsing Facebook postings with no intention to adopt, but three years later, here we are.

Hank has grown to be a fantastic family dog. He was already trained but clearly needed some work. He's the protector and best friend to our two children. Hank loves playing "pickle," which is the code word for "ball." He would play for hours if we let him.

Last week, Hank was playing pickle in our yard when he jumped and landed awkwardly. After a few days' rest, Hank was still hopping and not walking on his leg. After a trip to the vet, some manual testing, and imaging, Hank ended up with a CCL tear and possible meniscal injury. Based on his size, age, and activity level, reconstructive surgery was recommended. Hank is scheduled for TPLO surgery on June 3rd. Our cost estimate was $5,000-$6,300. While we have some money saved up, it's an expense that we weren't ready for. Unfortunately, the surgery needs to be paid in full. Anything we can't come up with will likely be going on credit cards. Usually, we're set for an issue like this, but our daughter just recently had surgery 3 months ago to have ear tubes placed, and she will be having a second surgery in July due to persistent ear infections. We have insurance for her, but the out-of-pocket expenses were thousands.

I am not looking to fund the full amount of Hank's surgery, but anything will help offset the cost of his vet bills and therapy that he may need after. His little humans can't wait to have their energetic, fun-loving Hank back. Bedrest has not been fun for him, and the expected recovery is a minimum of 6 weeks. We will keep everybody posted. They gave us the earliest surgical slot they had; hopefully, I can keep this loving beast calm for another 2 weeks.

All funds raised will be going directly towards Hank's medical bills. If I receive anything in excess of the surgery cost I will donate it back to the rescue that we got Hank from.