Hi friends,

Scruffles, my dog and the tiny love of my life, and the best boy in the world, has been sick for a year and a half, and the medical bills have been staggering. Read our story below! Any help is appreciated!!

Almost 11 years ago, Scruffles and I met and instantly became best friends. It was during the hardest time of my life—only 2 months after my mom died. I was only 21, and Scruffles became a lifeline I needed very badly. The perfect buddy, a constant companion, and fur that seemed designed to absorb tears.

Since then, we’ve been through so much together: amazing fun and painful loss, several moves and job changes, even a chapter living in London. Every up and down of my 20s, he’s been right there to cuddle close and snore about it. He’s more than a pet—he’s my family. For 10 years, it’s been just me and him.

In April 2024, Scruffles went into congestive heart failure. Thanks to emergency intervention, he stabilized and started a bunch of medications to keep his tiny heart going.

The hits kept coming. In September 2024, we learned he had lung cancer. Incurable but treatable. Scruffles started an at-home chemo treatment to help slow the growth of his tumor. He needed near-constant check-ups, blood work, and scans. Scruff and I are so thankful for the care he received. Thanks to that care, we’ve been given more precious time together.

At every stage, I stopped and said, what is the best decision now? How do I give him the best quality of life and not keep him here just for me? And I made a vow that I would not keep him here any longer than he wanted to be. I trust him (and his doctors) to let me know when he is ready to go.

In June 2025, the side effects of the chemo became too severe to continue, and the tumor was still slowly growing, so I made the difficult decision to stop the treatment.

He’s now on comfort care, and my focus is making sure this chapter of his life is as full of love and peace as possible. Just like he carried me through the hardest part of my life, I now get the privilege of carrying him through his.

A huge challenge has been the cost: over $16,000 in medical bills, most of which I put on credit cards to make sure he got the treatment he needed. I want to be clear: this fundraiser isn’t for future procedures—Scruffles has already received the care. Donations will go directly toward paying down the debt from those medical expenses. I’m happy to provide receipts or details to anyone who’d like transparency.

I know there are so many urgent causes in the world right now, and I encourage you to support them if you can. If you also feel moved to help me and Scruffles, I would be deeply grateful. Even the smallest contribution, or simply sharing this page, helps lighten the load.

Thank you for reading our story, and for all the kindness you’ve shown us.

Love,

Jamie & Scruffles