Larry the Labradoodle needs your help
Donation protected
This is Larry, he’s an 8-month-old Labradoodle who is the happiest, most gentle puppy you’ll ever meet.
But Larry also desperately needs your help.
When he was four months old, Larry was booked in to stay with a dog sitter through the website Pawshake while Aaron and I (his parents), went interstate to see my Dad for Fathers’ Day.
While Larry was in the sitter’s care, she failed to inform us that she was also dog-sitting a 3-year-old Staffie that had suffered abuse and was on medication for anxiety problems. As Larry was so young, we never would have agreed to him being housed with a dog like that. Sadly, that dog viciously mauled our beautiful boy, who was rushed to the hospital with life threatening head injuries.
It wasn’t until several hours after the attack, that the Pawshake carer called to inform Aaron and I about what had happened. However, she lied to us, saying that Larry was stable, and she didn’t believe the wounds were serious. We immediately called the Lort Smith Animal Hospital for ourselves and were horrified to be told that Larry was in fact in intensive care as his head had been badly crushed in the attack: he had multiple breaks in his skull, jaw and eye socket and may also be blind. At that stage the Veterinary surgeon wasn’t sure that he would survive through the night.
We cut our weekend with my family short and organised the first flight home to be with our boy. After the most traumatic night of our lives, we finally got to see our boy, who was not in a good way. It is safe to say, neither Aaron or have seen something as distressing as visiting our formerly perfect puppy in such a horrific state.
Through what the veterinarians at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital have described as close to a miracle, a week later we were told our boy had pulled through but would need ongoing surgery and 24-hour care in order to keep him alive. Aaron had to take two weeks off work in order to care for Larry at home.
Since then, Larry has had multiple surgeries on his eyes, jaw and teeth and he has been on mass amounts of medication. He just went in for another operation today on his left eye, which we are hoping will help him, as he is still in constant pain. Larry isn’t even a year old and he’s suffered more than Aaron and I put together.
Sadly, Larry will never be the same. He now has a deformed skull and eye socket and his left eye will be problematic for the rest of his life. He is also terrified of loud noises now and can no longer be around other dogs in a dog park. We have also had to arrange for vet-approved pet carers to visit Larry at home while we are at work in order to care for him and give him medication.
All of Larry’s lifesaving treatments have cost us close to $12,000 and Larry will also require ongoing care for the rest of his life. This is not to mention all the expenses on sitters and the money Aaron has lost through time off work.
Pawshake have acknowledged they were at fault for what happened to Larry in the care of one of their ‘Trust and Safety team-approved’ carers; that carer has been banned from the site and has also had charges brought against her by the City of Melbourne after what happened to Larry as it was found that she had an illegal Kennel set up in her home.
Despite providing a full report, all of the relevant vet bills and an official notice of the charges placed against the Pawshake carer, Pawshake have offered no support and have refused to cover Larry’s bills. We have tried to reason with them since the beginning of this saga, but despite admitting fault, they have informed us they cannot pay for Larry’s bills due to company policy. As you can imagine, this has been extremely upsetting for us and has left us in a dire financial state. The Pawshake carer also failed to offer any financial help and has never reached out to us to find out whether Larry is okay.
Aaron and I are due to get married next year in April and have had to use our wedding savings to fund Larry’s treatments. We are unsure where this saga is going to end and we are at the point where we’re struggling to keep up with Larry’s ongoing vet bills and everyday life. Because Larry is also frightened after the attack, he can no longer go to normal dog parks, we can only take him to quiet fenced off areas because he scares easily. This means we're also spending money on arranging private walks. Even though this has cost us more than we can afford, we will continue to do whatever we need to, to make sure Larry is taken care of.
We are planning to get Larry’s story out in the hope that other pet lovers don’t have to go through what we have with Pawshake. Please be aware, your furry friend is not safe with a Pawshake carer, as it is illegal in most Australian states to board animals in an unofficial capacity and without the proper training and permits. Also be aware, Pawshake will not help you at all if the unthinkable happens, despite the assurances they spruik on their website.
We have set this page up for those who would like to contribute to Larry’s cause. We are hoping to recoup a portion of Larry’s vet bills so that we can continue to pay for his ongoing medical care.
At the time of the accident, Larry unfortunately didn’t have pet insurance yet as he was so young. He is now fully covered, but sadly none of his existing injuries are covered.
He’s suffered so much and he’s only 8 months old, we want our boy to have a normal, happy life and we will do whatever we can to give that to him.
Thank you so much for reading Larry’s story, it means the world to us.
But Larry also desperately needs your help.
When he was four months old, Larry was booked in to stay with a dog sitter through the website Pawshake while Aaron and I (his parents), went interstate to see my Dad for Fathers’ Day.
While Larry was in the sitter’s care, she failed to inform us that she was also dog-sitting a 3-year-old Staffie that had suffered abuse and was on medication for anxiety problems. As Larry was so young, we never would have agreed to him being housed with a dog like that. Sadly, that dog viciously mauled our beautiful boy, who was rushed to the hospital with life threatening head injuries.
It wasn’t until several hours after the attack, that the Pawshake carer called to inform Aaron and I about what had happened. However, she lied to us, saying that Larry was stable, and she didn’t believe the wounds were serious. We immediately called the Lort Smith Animal Hospital for ourselves and were horrified to be told that Larry was in fact in intensive care as his head had been badly crushed in the attack: he had multiple breaks in his skull, jaw and eye socket and may also be blind. At that stage the Veterinary surgeon wasn’t sure that he would survive through the night.
We cut our weekend with my family short and organised the first flight home to be with our boy. After the most traumatic night of our lives, we finally got to see our boy, who was not in a good way. It is safe to say, neither Aaron or have seen something as distressing as visiting our formerly perfect puppy in such a horrific state.
Through what the veterinarians at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital have described as close to a miracle, a week later we were told our boy had pulled through but would need ongoing surgery and 24-hour care in order to keep him alive. Aaron had to take two weeks off work in order to care for Larry at home.
Since then, Larry has had multiple surgeries on his eyes, jaw and teeth and he has been on mass amounts of medication. He just went in for another operation today on his left eye, which we are hoping will help him, as he is still in constant pain. Larry isn’t even a year old and he’s suffered more than Aaron and I put together.
Sadly, Larry will never be the same. He now has a deformed skull and eye socket and his left eye will be problematic for the rest of his life. He is also terrified of loud noises now and can no longer be around other dogs in a dog park. We have also had to arrange for vet-approved pet carers to visit Larry at home while we are at work in order to care for him and give him medication.
All of Larry’s lifesaving treatments have cost us close to $12,000 and Larry will also require ongoing care for the rest of his life. This is not to mention all the expenses on sitters and the money Aaron has lost through time off work.
Pawshake have acknowledged they were at fault for what happened to Larry in the care of one of their ‘Trust and Safety team-approved’ carers; that carer has been banned from the site and has also had charges brought against her by the City of Melbourne after what happened to Larry as it was found that she had an illegal Kennel set up in her home.
Despite providing a full report, all of the relevant vet bills and an official notice of the charges placed against the Pawshake carer, Pawshake have offered no support and have refused to cover Larry’s bills. We have tried to reason with them since the beginning of this saga, but despite admitting fault, they have informed us they cannot pay for Larry’s bills due to company policy. As you can imagine, this has been extremely upsetting for us and has left us in a dire financial state. The Pawshake carer also failed to offer any financial help and has never reached out to us to find out whether Larry is okay.
Aaron and I are due to get married next year in April and have had to use our wedding savings to fund Larry’s treatments. We are unsure where this saga is going to end and we are at the point where we’re struggling to keep up with Larry’s ongoing vet bills and everyday life. Because Larry is also frightened after the attack, he can no longer go to normal dog parks, we can only take him to quiet fenced off areas because he scares easily. This means we're also spending money on arranging private walks. Even though this has cost us more than we can afford, we will continue to do whatever we need to, to make sure Larry is taken care of.
We are planning to get Larry’s story out in the hope that other pet lovers don’t have to go through what we have with Pawshake. Please be aware, your furry friend is not safe with a Pawshake carer, as it is illegal in most Australian states to board animals in an unofficial capacity and without the proper training and permits. Also be aware, Pawshake will not help you at all if the unthinkable happens, despite the assurances they spruik on their website.
We have set this page up for those who would like to contribute to Larry’s cause. We are hoping to recoup a portion of Larry’s vet bills so that we can continue to pay for his ongoing medical care.
At the time of the accident, Larry unfortunately didn’t have pet insurance yet as he was so young. He is now fully covered, but sadly none of his existing injuries are covered.
He’s suffered so much and he’s only 8 months old, we want our boy to have a normal, happy life and we will do whatever we can to give that to him.
Thank you so much for reading Larry’s story, it means the world to us.
Organizer
Laura Binnie
Organizer
Balaclava, VIC