Help Save Princess Dutches: A Little Life Full of Love & Fight**

On January 23, 2025, our sweet Princess Dutches was born—one of eight beautiful puppies, perfectly balanced: four girls and four boys. It was an unexpected blessing. Watching our dog Lucy bring life into this world was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had. Something that began as an accident turned into one of the greatest joys of our lives.

Over the last five months, I have poured my heart into raising all eight puppies. I fell deeply in love with each one—so much so that I wanted to keep them all. But realistically, we couldn’t. Around 13 weeks, we began placing them with family members so we could still keep them close. We could have sold them for thousands, but their presence meant more to us than money. Knowing they’d be safe and loved in our extended family brought peace to our hearts.

We decided to keep three: one for me, one for my mom, and one for my sister. Dutches was mine.

Two months after she was born, I brought her home—and that very night, Dutches had her first seizure. It shook me to my core. Puppies typically don’t have seizures that young. Over the next few days, she had two more. We rushed her to the hospital, desperate for answers. Bloodwork came back normal. Stool samples, clear. The vets mentioned something about a possible liver shunt and told us she might need surgery, but that a proper diagnosis would come first. That visit alone cost us $750.

Over the next four weeks, Dutches was put on Keppra, an anticonvulsant. We could only administer a low dose because of her size, and sadly, she still had three more seizures. Then, on April 30th, our little warrior—full of energy and life—jumped from the couch while playing and fractured her arm. The pain was unbearable for her. My mom rushed her to the emergency vet, where they placed her in a cast and told us surgery would be safer. But the cost? $10,000. We had already spent $5,000. So we prayed the cast would be enough.

Through all this, Dutches remained our little fighter. Frustrated, yes, but full of life and love. We started weaning her off Keppra and tried a natural healing route—oils, supplements, CBD. For a while, she improved. She had only two mild seizures over seven weeks. We thought we were turning a corner.

Then came June 16th.

My mom called me—Dutches had already had three seizures that day. On the drive to her, she had another. I rushed her to the ER, and as I arrived, she began seizing again in my arms. Nurses came running. The vet told me she needed a neurologist. The diagnosis would cost $6,000–$10,000. Surgery, if needed, would be another $8,000–$12,000. Then they gently asked me something I wasn’t ready to hear:

**"Have you considered putting her to sleep?"**

In 37 years of life, I’ve never cried the way I did in that moment. Dutches is my baby. She’s still full of life, even through the pain. But the financial burden was overwhelming. I had just left my job to start something of my own—and suddenly I was facing medical bills of $20,000 or more.

They gave me time to say goodbye. I held her, sobbing. They gave me three options—cremation with or without ashes, or taking her home. As they began the paperwork, my mom and I cried together over the phone. Then we made a decision:

**No. We won’t give up on her.**

We stopped the procedure, took her home, and vowed to fight for her, no matter how hard or how long.

So I’m here, asking from the deepest place in my heart—for help. We’ve started this fundraiser to try and give Dutches a second chance. To find answers. To get a diagnosis. To bring her peace. Even $1 makes a difference. A share, a prayer, a kind word—they all mean the world to us.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for helping us keep fighting for Dutches.

With love and hope,

AE