Hi everyone,

We never expected to be in this position, but we’re asking for help to care for a dog who was returned to us in heartbreaking condition after a year of neglect.

Waylen is a 5-year-old Australian shepherd who was originally raised by my boyfriend, Gayver, while he was stationed in Michigan. He was a beautiful, happy dog—just a little overweight, but full of energy and love. In April 2024, Gayver’s ex-wife asked to take Waylen back, and he agreed, wanting to support the bond between Waylen and the daughter they share.

Fast forward one year, and Waylen was returned to us in April 2025 in horrible condition. He was unrecognizable—suffering from extreme hair loss, red and dry patches all over his body, constant itching, and clear signs of pain and distress. He weighed over 100 pounds and came with no food or supplies—just tea bags for his eyes and a container of coconut oil.

We were told this would be temporary, but since then, his previous owner has stopped communicating and made no effort to take him back or help with his care. Though he was technically her responsibility at that point, we couldn’t just let him suffer. We tried over-the-counter treatments at first because we simply couldn’t afford a vet bill—especially after we had just taken our other dog, Olive, to the emergency vet the month before due to complications from her spay surgery.

Eventually, we had no choice but to get him real medical care. Our initial vet estimate was $887, which we couldn’t afford upfront. Thankfully, our vet was incredibly understanding and worked with us to prioritize urgent care first, bringing our bill down to $654. We are currently awaiting results from a skin test (thankfully he doesn’t have mites), and he’s now on multiple medications. He’ll need several follow-up visits, ongoing prescriptions, and possibly additional testing.

This will be a long, expensive recovery, but Waylen is worth it.

Since being with us, he’s already started to improve—he’s losing weight, showing more personality, and starting to heal. But we need help to continue this journey.

We’re not ones to ask for help lightly, but Waylen didn’t deserve to be neglected. He has so much life and love left to give, and we are committed to giving him the life he deserves.

If you feel called to donate or even just share his story, it would mean the world to us. Every dollar helps and will go directly to Waylen’s care.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Morgan, Gayver, & Waylen