My name is Anika and making this Gofundme on behalf of my mother, Jennifer Nichols.

My mother is an avid animal lover. She has fostered dozens of dogs and cats over the years, finding homes for almost all of them, minus a few foster fails here and there. One of those foster fails is Trixie.

In the summer of 2022, Mom went to pick up a dryer from craigslist and came back with a dryer and a puppy after the owners told Mom they were moving to a place where pets weren't allowed. She assured everyone that she would find her a home soon, because her home was already full with 2 dogs and a cat. Trixie was so cute and lovable, it would not have been hard to find her a new home.

But then my father passed in July of 2022, devastating all of us. Trixie became a source of joy and comfort for my mother during the rough months following his death and the two have been inseparable ever since. Her bubbly personality, over the top energy, and undeniable cuteness make Mom laugh, her cuddles and affection alleviates Moms stress. Through all the animals Mom has fostered or owned over the years, I can say that Trixie has one of the strongest connections with Mom that I’ve ever seen.

Unfortunately, Trixie’s boundless energy and playful nature has led to an unfortunate medical emergency. After noticing Trixie’s struggle to move and walk, Mom took her to the vet. The hope was that she had merely strained some muscles in her legs, but further tests revealed that Trixie tore BOTH of her hind leg CCL’s. This is the equivalent of someone tearing the ACLs in both legs. Since this diagnosis, Trixie has been rendered mostly immobile, but her love for my mother and personality remain as bubbly as ever.

This has obviously led to a drastic decline in Trixie’s quality of life, and the only cure is surgery. Because you can not repair a CCL, the surgeon plans to reshape her knee bones to prevent slippage so Trixie will be able to move around better going forward without pain. It is a major surgery and as we all know, major surgery is very costly. Surgery for each leg is $4000, and that isn’t including post-op care. As a family we are all trying to help with this bill. While we would love to be able to cover both legs, we recognize that this may not be possible. Especially not without help.

Trixie’s surgery for her first leg is currently set for August 14th, which leaves us very little time.

The current plan is to raise funds for the first surgery and evaluate from there. If we are unable to cover the costs of the second surgery, then the leg will be unusable and she will have a permanent limp, but she will still be mobile.

If you have been lucky enough to meet my Mom, then you already know what kind of person she is. And if you haven’t, you should know that you will never meet a more loving, compassionate person. She’s the type of person who will open her home to anyone in need, offer support to all who ask, and puts others ahead of herself more often than not.

We are hoping that her community will donate and support her through this process. No donation is too big or too small, and any support, emotional or monetary, is most welcome. Please consider donating and/or sharing this so others may know Mom and Trixie’s story.

We will post updates as things progress, and thank you all in advance for your support.