My name is Jade; I'm a licensed veterinary technician from New York, and I'm raising funds for my friend Rosalind and her dog Fritz.

A little history on how Rosalind and I met — one morning in 2023, I was covering reception at work when I got a phone call from an older woman who needed help trimming her dog’s nails. She didn’t drive — she’d never learned how to — and her sister wasn’t available for a few days to bring her and her senior dog into the clinic. I noticed she only lived a few minutes away from our hospital, so on my lunch break, I drove to her house and trimmed her dog’s nails, and instantly fell in love with Rosalind's kind and exuberant spirit and knew that I needed to get to know her better

After that first visit, I started spending many of my lunch breaks with Roz. Her husband had passed away, her children moved out of state, and she was more than happy to share a few afternoons with the weird redhead who kept showing up on her porch.

When I told my husband about this woman, he shrugged my adoration off at first, saying “If I hung out with every nice old lady I ever met at work, I’d never be home.” He’s a paramedic, so it was a valid point, to be fair. Eventually, I dragged him along with me to one of our lunch dates, and as we walked back to our car, he turned to me and said, “I take it all back. Whatever she needs, we’ve got it.”

Roz’s beloved dog, Darlin', got sick a few months later, and we took her in because Roz didn’t have the dexterity to medicate her. Shortly after, we unfortunately had to euthanize Darlin' due to a rapidly growing tumor behind her eye. Roz was understandably devastated, since this dog was really the only company she had on a daily basis.

After Darlin's passing, my husband and I continued to visit Roz and bring her over to our apartment. We went to restaurants and drive-through safaris. We shared music, listened to records, and talked about books. Each time, she would lament her new, strange, dogless life.

A few months ago, my own grandmother passed away unexpectedly, and her senior Chihuahua mix was left without a home. It seemed like fate. I called Roz up and asked if she still had interest in a dog. Her response was a resounding "YES!"

So Fritz now lives with Roz. She puts Everybody Loves Raymond on for him every night because I told her once it was my grandmother’s favorite show. I like to think that they're just trading companions for a little while — my grandmother's taking care of Darlin' for Roz while Roz takes care of Fritz for her.

Anyway, the funds I'm trying to raise are to help support my lovely friend Roz and her new pup. Fritz has a few health concerns, among the greatest being epilepsy and periodontal disease. He is in desperate need of extensive dental work, which more than likely will result in him having all of his remaining teeth extracted.

We would be so grateful for anything you're able to contribute. I will be receiving these funds myself — as dealing with something like this would prove difficult for Roz, who relies on family members to help her manage her bills/balance her checkbook — and using anything donated to pay for Fritz' medical bills directly. If we somehow miraculously exceed our goal, any additional funds will be allocated to pay for Fritz' other expenses (food, daily meds, etc.) and anything else he or Roz should need.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!