A few days ago, my husband (a high school science teacher) came home with an unexpected addition to our family.

A stray dog.

He was incredibly thin, covered in fleas and ticks, and clearly needed someone to give him a chance. We already have three very loved, and VERY spoiled, dogs, and it didn’t take long for us to decide that this sweet boy deserved that same life.

So dog #4 it is. And I love my husband for bringing him home.

We started with food, water, a safe place to sleep, and several oatmeal flea baths. Then we headed to the vet, expecting that getting an underweight stray healthy would take some time and money.

We weren't expecting the news we got.

He tested positive for heartworms and hookworms.

What we thought would be a fairly straightforward recovery has turned into a much longer road. We're currently expecting approximately $3,000–$5,000 in veterinary expenses as we work with his veterinarian to safely get him healthy.

But there is something we want to make very clear:

He's getting treated whether this fundraiser raises $1 or the entire amount.

When my husband brought him home, we made the decision to love him. We're not asking the internet to decide whether he receives care. We're simply inviting anyone who has fallen in love with him along with us to become part of his comeback.

The timing is a little ironic for our family.

My husband recently returned to the classroom as a high school science teacher, a decision we wholeheartedly supported even though it meant taking a significant pay cut as a family. One of the reasons I've been working so hard to grow my social media platform and affiliate businesses is to help make up some of that difference.

And then this man brought home another mouth to feed.

And I wouldn't change it.

So we're turning this into a little experiment:

Can the internet help us turn one forgotten stray into a ridiculously spoiled farm dog?

Donations will help cover his veterinary care and recovery as we navigate heartworm treatment and get him healthy. We'll be documenting his journey so the people who help him can watch his transformation right along with us.

And if donating isn't in your budget, you can still help without spending a single dollar. Share his story, follow his journey, or tag a pet brand that might want to become part of his comeback.

We can't wait for the day when we can put those first pictures of this painfully skinny stray beside a photo of a healthy, happy dog running around our flower farm with his three ridiculously spoiled siblings.

Until then, we're taking it one appointment, one meal, and one day at a time.

Thank you for being part of his story.

Stray → spoiled farm dog. Here we go.