My injured left leg- needs amputation

Dear Friends, family, neighbors, and future friends,

On Saturday September 9, 2023, Tom and I went to San Martin County Animal Shelter to just look at dogs. We believed we were safe from bringing an animal home because we had two cats already. Little did we know how wrong we were, in fact, we were not safe, we were in danger of falling in love the moment we first saw Tanko (his original name), a Belgian Malinois scheduled to be euthanized on September 12, 2023. To my surprise, when Tom found out about the scheduled euthanization, he shook his head and said, nope, we’ll take him. Thus, it began that we rescued this 2–4-year-old Malinois who we renamed Scout.

During the rescue process, we were told that Scout had a mangled left paw. The details of how the foot was injured are relatively unknown to us but according to multiple vets, it appears that it was an abuse or neglect injury. Scout is missing two of his toes (digits) and another is misaligned, facing to the left side instead of straight. This causes him significant pain as evidenced when we take him for walks or when he runs, he lifts his paw and walks/runs on three legs. Additionally, where his other paws lay flat, his left paw drops. Please see the photos for reference.

Today, we took Scout for a consult with an orthopedic surgeon who quoted us $1389.91 for just xrays, consultation, and sedation. This is our 2nd consult and the least expensive. To have Scouts paw surgically restored to as close to normal as possible, the surgery, and post-surgical care, will cost around $10,000. Sure, we could leave the paw the way it is but we are heartbroken every time we see him run on three legs or when we accidently touch his leg and he retracts from pain. We would really like to improve Scout’s quality of life. He is a great dog, and we would like to train him as Tom’s service dog.

This is where you come in. Tom and I do not have the funds to fix Scout’s paw. As many of you know, I am working full-time and am a full-time student. Tom is currently not employed or earning wages. He is a caregiver to Aunt Sandy and is busy giving back to his community as a volunteer firefighter for Uvas. Both Tom and I also volunteer as Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley, Tom is the President of the association, where we provide rehab to firefighters (and occasionally the police department) during fires or large events.

We are asking for monetary donations for the Xrays and surgery to fix Scout’s paw. We believe he was abused and does not deserve to be in pain as a reminder of the abuse. Tom and I both give to others as much as we can so asking for help is not something we are typically comfortable with. In this case, for Scout, we are hoping we can raise enough to at least begin the process for Scout’s recovery. We thank you for whatever donation you are able to give.

Our best to you and yours,

Tom and Pamela Metz