Hi, my name is Jami and I am raising money to help us pay for Millie's spinal surgery. We adopted Millie on September 30, 2019. She was found on the streets of Apple Valley and clearly just had a litter of puppies. She was scared and skinny. When she got in my car, her tail was tucked and she was shaking uncontrollably. It took about three days for her to trust us and finally we got a smile from her, she knew she was safe. Millie quickly became my baby, my favorite being, and my best friend. We love to travel and Millie has been on many adventures with us - beach, snow, mountains, desert - everywhere. She loves to play catch and tug but also loves a good lazy cuddle on the couch anytime. She is the most loving dog I have ever known. She looks scary, and the mailman will tell you different but anyone who has stepped foot in our home has experienced her amazing personality. She is just a lovebug!

A few days ago, we tried to go for a walk and Millie took a couple steps and sat down. This was weird because she gets so excited when I reach for her harness but this time she was not, she just wanted to lay down. We get back in the house and she gets on her favorite spot on the couch in front of the window and just stayed there. I left for work and when I came home a few hours later, she was still just laying there. We get ready for bed and I try to get her to come, we got her off the couch and her back legs buckled under her, she couldn't walk. I carried her to bed and gave her some anti-inflammatory. We wake up in the morning and the look on her face was scary. We rush to the vet and they immediately send us to emergency to see a neurologist. The did an MRI on Millie and found she had bulging/slipped disc's on her spine and recommended surgery. Millie received this surgery that same day and was told it went well. Finally some relief.

We go to see her the next day and she seemed worse off than the day before. My heart broke and my mind went south. I was hopeful for a miracle and that isn't what happened. We left with the worst feelings in our hearts. Later that day, after crying for days, we get a call from the surgeon who told us that Millie was worse today than the previous day before surgery. He also told us that is typical for the amount of damage she had in addition to her previous back issues. He is very optimistic of her recovery and believes she will heal and be walking again in a couple weeks. The healing process will take time and Millie will need to be crated for the next 4-6 weeks but we are hopeful. It will be tough for her, and us, but we are hopeful she will get that smile back and regain full ability to walk and enjoy life again.

I am asking for help in covering the costs of surgery. When they took her in and gave us a number I was devastated because I knew we couldn't afford it. We had already paid $5,600 for the MRI, sedation, and pre-surgery testing and the additional cost for surgery was $7,600. I cried. I was ready to have them give me meds to bring her home so we can make other decisions. We weren't ready to let her go for something that could be fixed but we also couldn't afford it. The hospital was wonderful, they tried to cut every cost they could and came back and told us if we could pay just for the surgery of $4,000, they would take care of the rest - hospital stay, meds, etc... we figured it out, made it happen. We applied for care credit that approved us for most of all the money we paid and put the rest on a credit card. The total amount we ended up paying was $9,620. I'm not expecting this to be paid by anyone else but anything you can give to help us pay this debt off would be appreciated.

Millie is about 6yrs old, very healthy, and so loved. I wish dogs could live forever but I know how life works. She is still young and deserves a chance so even if we can't raise any money, we will do everything we can to help her live as long as she can.

Thank you so much for taking a moment to read our story. If you can't help financially I ask you to add Millie to your daily prayer, send her love, light, and positive vibes for a healthy recovery. Be blessed today, and everyday.