Pepper needs your help!

Our little love has gone through quite the ordeal this summer. After months of trying to figure out why Pepper was suddenly scared, timid, and limping on and off...after 5 vet visits where we got every test and X-Ray imaginable...we met with an Orthopedic Specialist yesterday. 

Turns out, our girl's superficial digital flexor muscle and tendon (a major part of her Achille's Tendon) has popped out of place and needs to be re-fissured through an intense surgery. She will need a custom brace and a minimum 8 weeks of recovery.  She likely acquired this injury the same day she started acting strange at the Cherry Creek Dog Park. Yes, she was definitely spooked but mainly because she was in a great deal of pain! Kyle and I feel so badly that we didn't find the answer eariler,  but we have tried everything from hiring a behavior specialist to multiple vet visits to only now get this diagnosis and plan of action. 
We are relieved to know what is happening with Pepper, but also a bit overwhelmed about the road ahead and the cost of her surgery. We have already spent about $1,200 on many vet visits, behavioral therapy, calming treats, thunder vests, a new crate, and more in the past 5 weeks, and the estimation for the surgery and brace is $3,000. For a young couple just starting out, this feels like a great burden. Pepper is not even 2 years old, and the predicted outcome is very positive- the problem will not be recurring once fixed through surgery and she will be able to run and play hopefully well into her "teens". We are humbled and slightly embarassed reaching out in this manner, but if you have a few extra bucks to spare to go towards her vet bill, we would be forever grateful.

I never thought I would reach out through crowd-funding. It feels somewhat shameful and awkward to ask for help in the manner, but I also have seen so many gofundme campaigns reach full success through the love and generosity of others. As a new teacher, and with Kyle just starting a job in the service industry after graduation, we are in a bit of a tight spot financially and care so much about Pepper that we felt it was an appropriate time to ask for a little help from our community.