Dear Friends, Family, and Animal Lovers,

We are Katy and Nikita, Mara's human parents. Our darling Mara, a gentle soul who loves everyone and everything, is in need of your help. Mara has been diagnosed with a painful and aggressive form of cancer that will ultimately take her life. The vets suggested she gets palliative radiotherapy to give her a happy and pain-free few months. We were informed that without the treatment, she has a couple of weeks left, but with the treatment, she has 4-6 months. Obviously, we opted to have more time with our baby girl, if only to give her a good send off.

The treatment she needs is costly, and beyond what we can manage alone (even with insurance!). This is why we are reaching out to our community of friends, family, and fellow dog lovers to help us give Mara the care she deserves.

Cost breakdown:

We adopted Mara from a shelter in Lebanon nearly six years ago now and she has been the light of our lives ever since. We promised ourselves that given the rough start she had to life, we would do everything within our power to ensure she knows nothing but happiness and comfort - and we intend to stick to that promise no matter what. It didn't take very long for Mara to let her beautiful personality shine through after joining our family and we'd like to share with you some of the things we love about her:

Mara is a true water spirit—there's nothing she loves more than splashing through Scottish rivers and creeks, and filling our house with that unmistakable eggy wet dog scent!

Tall grass and hilltops fill her with joy.

Her favourite treat? Licking human toes - the sweatier the better!

She trots around like she has a melody in her head she is singing along to.

She loves everyone, absolutely everyone. In fact, the best example of this is how incredibly excited she gets for visits to the vet (a person her dog sister sees as public enemy number one)!

About four weeks ago, Mara started showing signs of deteriorating leg function. After several vet visits and thorough examinations, they discovered that the issue stems from a problem in her spine that is compressing her nerves. Turns out, what was compressing her nerves was an aggressive sarcoma, a form of cancer that is wrapping itself around her spine, bones, bowel, and bladder. This compression is causing her significant pain and a loss of mobility.

Every donation, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to giving Mara a chance to have a proper, happy, and warm end of life. If you can't contribute financially, sharing Mara's story with others would mean the world to us. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. With this treatment, we hope Mara can regain the happiness and confidence that leave a lasting impression on everyone she meets.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Nikita, Katy, Mara, and Mila (Mara's sister).