On August 14th, I found two stray dogs running on the road near the Pully Town Road/Edgemont Road/Fowler Road intersection, between Rolesville, NC and Wendell, NC. The dogs were desperate, starving, and severely injured. One dog, a black lab mix, I’ve taken to calling Courage. The other, a brown shepherd mix that I've been referring to as Bambi.

Their condition was devastating:

Bambi had a 10-inch open wound across his shoulder that was swollen, bleeding, filthy, and beginning to show signs of infection.

Both were emaciated, weak, and covered in mud.

They reeked of decay and were BEYOND infested with fleas and ticks — each with dozens of ticks feeding on them.

Both dogs were at risk of numerous tick- borne ilnesses, infection, and malnourishment. So, I scooped them up and headed straight to Wake Veterinary Medical Center's Urgent Care department to have Bambi treated for his laceration and vaccinated for rabies. He is currently being treated with medications for his infection and pain management

While the dogs stayed at the hospital, I went to the store for supplies: dog food, collars, leashes, flea & tick treatment, a large crate for Bambi while he recovers from surgery, and some bones to chew/toys to keep their attention while they are closed off from the house.

I brought the duo home, bathed them two times each with flea and tick medication, painstakingly removed each of their ticks, got them fed, and quarantined in their own safe space in my home.

The next day, I took Courage to Wake Veterinary Medical Center's Primary Care department to have him treated for his wounds, rabies vaccinated, submit fecal tests, heartworm tests, and flea/tick/heartworm prevention. He was diagnosed with heart worms, various types of fecal worms, tick-borne Lyme Disease, and tick-borne Ehrlichia. He is currently being treated for each of these diagnosis with appropriate medications.

Between purchases at the pet store, and necessary medical intervention bills, I have found myself in a very financially stressful situation. I have already invested over $2,000 into their care in just two days.

Bambi has his appointment with Wake Veterinary Medical Center's Primary Care department on Monday, August 18th, to have him treated for additional wounds, rabies vaccination, fecal tests, heartworm tests, and flea/tick/heartworm prevention.

Between the future check up appointments, additional vaccines, medications, and other necessary medical tests, the doctors have given me additional estimates totaling over $2,000 again- and that's without factoring in medications or additional tests they may need if the vets find they need additional interventions.

I'm so glad I was able to gain these boys' trust and be able to start the process of giving them a better life with a new family, or hopefully reuniting them with the people who love them. By no means do I regret taking on two sick and injured baby boys, but taking care of these kiddos on my own right now has proven to be a pretty big challenge.

Based on their behavior, neither of them have spent a lot of time in a home. The only available space I have to keep them in is a spare room in my upstairs, but neither of the pups can walk up or go down the stairs on their own yet. I have to carry each of them, one at a time, down and back up the stairs 5-6 times per day for bathroom breaks. Bambi is unfortunately cat- aggressive, so every time I bring him through the house to go potty, I have to lock up each of my six cats to avoid an altercation on our way to the back yard and back up to the quarantine room. Because Courage was diagnosed with fecal worms, I have to scoop up his BMs immediately and treat the area to kill any leftover parasites, so no one else gets infected. They are so ravenous for food that I almost get knocked down when it's time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don't even get me started on dosing medications- these guys are like truffle pigs when it comes to locating where I've hidden their meds!

These two sweet souls have already been through so much. I have been in touch with many shelters and organizations who help in situations like this, but I have found that each one is over saturated in animals right now. I am more than happy to keep these guys until someone responds to their "found" ads, or I am able to match them with a foster/forever home.

It would help me SO much to receive some help in funding their medical bills, as I already have some of my own personal pets that require long- term medical care with big bills. Getting help from my community and fellow animal lovers out there would fill my heart up so much, as well as help to ease the financial burden that this situation has placed on my household.

Your donation will go directly toward:

Emergency veterinary care & medications

Recheck appointments & vaccinations

Wound treatment & parasite prevention

Nutritious food and supplies to help them regain strength

Every single day without proper care puts them at risk. Please, if you can, donate today to help Courage and Bambi get the urgent care they need to survive.

✨ No gift is too small — every dollar truly makes a difference. If you aren’t able to give, please share their story so we can reach more people quickly.

From the bottom of my heart (and from Courage & Bambi), thank you for helping save their lives.