Maitlan lost her pup—Let's show her support

Trigger warning: There are details within this story that are graphic and violent.

Amendment: We increased the goal—we are about to be able to cover the veterinary bills, and for that, we are unbelievably thankful and in awe. Anything beyond that will cover the emergency travel and begin to fund the expenses Mait will face as she decides next steps and future moving. Thank you, endlessly, for supporting her. We are all in awe.

Original post: As artists by trade, we’d like to begin by painting a picture. Can you imagine or relate to leaving a loved one for the last time, not knowing it was the last? St. Patrick’s day weekend, 2023, Maitlan left Perry in the loving care of her dogsitter—a fellow trusted University of Dayton grad and wonderful human—who watched the house & loved and cared for Perry as her own. While Maitlan was away, having let family know of her plans to fly out for a close friend’s weekend wedding celebration in Kansas City, Perry was viciously attacked and outnumbered.

Saturday morning, the dogsitter and Perry went into Maitlan's wooden, fully-fenced-in backyard—a typical afternoon for sweet Perry. Perry played around the yard as usual, barking and jumping. She stepped close to the wooden fence, and one of Maitlan's neighbors’ dogs grabbed Perry by the paw and pulled her through the tiny gap between the wooden fence and the muddy ground. But this dog was not alone. The two neighboring dogs tore off her front leg. We wish we were exaggerating. Perry never stood a chance, and no amount of quick response on any human’s end could have elicited a different ending.

While the dogsitter called Maitlan's landlord for help, a vigilante neighbor rushed over after hearing the screaming. The three worked to bring Perry to the emergency veterinary hospital in Dayton, Ohio. This was no small task—there was blood everywhere and all Perry wanted was to be comforted by her safe space: her crate inside the house.

Maitlan—at least a 7-hour flight from home—after learning what happened, called our father, who immediately drove 5 hours to be with Perry. He made informed rational decisions while her valiant eldest sister worked to get Maitlan back to Ohio as soon as possible. During his drive, he authorized stabilizing Perry until he could get there.

Unfortunately, the stabilization wasn’t enough. Perry did not survive the day. To try and keep her alive for even another 24 hours would have been inhumane and cruel. Given the choice of months of intensive surgeries including further amputation, therapy, and an uncertain future of any recovery, we were guided by the vets to put her to rest. Maitlan received the call at the wedding reception, surrounded by friends who supported her through this unimaginable event.

Her eldest sister pulled through and got her on the first flight to Ohio the next morning, where her dad waited to pick her up, gather her belongings, and take her to her hometown of Springfield, Illinois. We want her to be surrounded by family and friends as she works through this shocking, unimaginable, sudden loss.

But something we learned (who'd have known?) is that dogs attacking dogs is not a clear crime—even if it happens in your backyard. The neighbors (owners of the dogs who took Perry’s life) have refused to answer contact from Animal Control, who deemed their dogs dangerous. Thanks to the quick thinking and documentation of the vigilante neighbor who rushed to support, the incident was immediately reported and investigated. Nevertheless, while there may be an opportunity to press legal charges through home insurance, dogs are considered property, not lost life.

Anyone who knew Perry or knows Maitlan would agree that this last sentence may be blasphemy. Perry was Maitlan’s best friend. A COVID-19 pup, a rescue, and the definition of a therapy dog. This sweet girl loved Maitlan more than anything in this world—and the inverse is true as well. Neither of them deserved to have this happen. No one deserves an unwarranted and violent loss without the luxury of being able to say goodbye.

We hope to raise funds to help cover the base necessities for Maitlan: $3500 for the veterinary bills, the cremation, and the emergency travel. Anything beyond that would help Maitlan as she navigates the next steps of coping with this loss including but not limited to: moving away from these neighbors and—hopefully, eventually—finding another four-legged best friend to bring home and tell stories of the magical Perry.

Thank you for any support—monetary or through sharing memories and condolences. Does Maitlan or our dad have any idea we are doing this? No chance in hell. But that's what big sisters are for—breakin' rules and showing love. We are thankful for you showing her how loved and supported she is, always. [Amendment at 4:39 CST—they know, and they are shocked and in awe of what has already been shared, so we are not taking it down. "I have nothing to do with this"—our dad]

All our love,

Maddie and Kenzie