About 3 years ago, my boyfriend (now fiance) told me his best friend's dogs had puppies-6 Frenchies! I showed my mom pictures and that sealed the deal. She knows me well. She asked if I wanted one, knowing that I had been struggling with depression. We thought a dog might help. I said "Yes!" I went to see them with my mom, sister, and boyfriend. It was a lovefest. Puppies everywhere to hold and play with. They were all adorable, but I knew who was meant to be my dog- the big guy. Mylo, as he came to be named- I'll tell you that story next-was twice as big as his siblings and he had a cool white stripe down his face. Ok, about the name, Mylo has a lot of meanings. One is "beloved." All our dogs have had a "y" in their names, hence the original spelling and I liked that it has all the same letters as my name. My mom added that it sounded like "My love." We have a thing for names- can you tell?

So, Mylo joined our family. He even went to college. I think he was more popular than me on campus. Mylo is a "typical" Frenchie- he loves to be next to me doing nothing but stretching (stealing all my space) and snoozing or running around like a crazy pup obsessed with his squeaky toys. He also has a sister, our family's super mutt, Zoey, and a brother, Leo, my fiance David's white German Shepherd (or Swiss Shepherd- we don't know yet). Mylo has helped me alot with getting more confident, being more social, and feeling happier.

That brings me to now. Being a French bulldog (a "flat-faced breed"), he is prone to Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS), a progressive life-threatening disease that makes it harder for dogs with short noses, narrow nostrils, and thicker, longer soft paletes to breathe. This can lead to a whole bunch of medical problems and respiratory crisis. My mom and I were paying close attention when we took Mylo to a specialist this week. Dr. Rossi was wonderful and he explained how he uses the most specialized techniques (laser surgery) to save these dogs' lives. Mylo is in stage 1 (there are 3) of this disease, so I want to get him this surgery soon. But, I'm a poor college graduate with a degree in psychology (good news, I'm starting graduate school in 4 weeks!).

It's with great love for Mylo, faith in people's generosity, and giant gratitude that I'm asking you for any monetary help you can give me for Mylo so that he can get the surgery he needs. Your prayers are also a true gift. Mylo is a best friend who is definitely doing his big job of helping me with my mental health. Everyday he brings the happy!

With Love,

Melodey and Mylo