Hello friends, community, dog lovers, and anyone reading this, thank you for your attention; we desperately need your help.

My name is Ray McEachern and I am starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my good friends Sandy, Bella and their 10 year old husky, Roman, who all experienced a horrific and extremely traumatic event, that has led to urgent vet bills that are quickly escalating.

What happened: Roman was viciously attacked (in the afternoon of Sunday July 20) after entering an off-leash dog park that appeared to be empty. As Roman was happily sniffing around, a massive Great Dane King Corso mix suddenly appeared out of the bushes and violently gripped onto Roman’s face. Bella and Sandy quickly reacted to fight off the other dog, but it would not let go and dragged Roman who was yelping in pain and fear for 5 minutes. Sandy and Bella were screaming at the top of their lungs for help as they exhausted every effort to save Roman, but none of it seemed effective enough. There was a moment where the attacking dog let go of Roman’s face, but when Bella and Sandy tried to get Roman out of harm’s way, the attacking dog latched onto Roman’s torso with an even more violent bite. By this point Sandy and Bella were both accumulating bite injuries on their body while running out of energy to fight the dog that was trying to kill Roman in front of their very eyes. Eventually, neighbours rushed in to their rescue were able to remove Roman from the situation — but now he is in critical care in Animal Emergency desperately trying to survive this horrific mauling. Immense gratitude to Craig and other community members who jumped in.

This beloved family is currently facing vet bills that start at $7,000 just for the last 24 hours of urgent care, and they are expecting that fee to potentially double during the aftercare process, especially if Roman needs surgery. They are also both recovering from dog bite injuries to the body and hand.

We currently don’t know the full extent of Roman’s injuries. He is sedated and on a steady IV drip of pain killers, but he is suffering, his parents are heartbroken, and they all desperately need your help to get through this.

About Roman: Anyone who’s met Roman knows him as a gentle giant; a jolly fluffy boy with a very calm, cool energy. He is an incredibly intuitive and smart dog, who Sandy well-trained from a puppy to be gentle, obedient, and to have good manners. Now he is fighting for survival.

This is a large amount trauma for the whole family, and it certainly is the most severe and life-threatening living-nightmare they never expected.

About Sandy & Bella: If you are part of the local queer scene in so called Vancouver, then you have likely enjoyed the fruit of Sandy & Bella’s community labour. Bella is a DJ whose life revolves around bringing others joy. Sandy is an Event Manager whose role centres around keeping community safe. Together, Sandy and Bella have invested years of their time and energy into uplifting their community with care, so now, in their greater time of need, I am asking you to please show up for them.

Roman is an irreplaceable family member. He is Sandy’s son. He is Bella’s heartbeat. And he needs help surviving this terrible, unfathomable attack.

I know times are tough for everyone right now, but from the shattered pieces of all their broken hearts, we humbly ask for any financial support you can afford. Every single dollar will be greatly appreciated, and will go directly to Roman’s recovery.

Please share and boost this fundraiser if you’re not in a place to donate at the moment. Anything is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.

*The attacking dog belongs to an unhoused person unable to cover vet bills.