Please Donate to Help Fund Cooper’s Surgery

To our dear friends, family, and kind-hearted souls:

We reach out to you during a time of great difficulty. Your kindness and generosity mean the world to us. If you're unable to contribute financially at this time, your thoughts and well wishes for Cooper’s recovery are equally cherished. Please consider sharing this campaign as much as possible. We realize there are so many causes and hardships that require support, and we are truly grateful for your consideration. We have been happy to share him with the world these last few years and we know he has brought joy to so many people.

It wasn’t until Cooper got injured that we realized we were in over our heads financially and that we need help from our community. Cooper has been a godsend and close companion to me and my 80-year-old mother, Linda. All through the years we’ve scraped together resources for ourselves to take care of those things that ail us. We’ve helped others whenever we could because we know what the world is like these days! But we have extremely limited resources (I’m on disability), so here we are.

Anyone who knows Cooper knows what a loving, intelligent, beautiful boy he is who needs a chance at a normal Dog Life: chasing leaves and squirrels and doing zoomies, guarding his humans from neighborhood dogs and scary UPS delivery drivers! (Visit Cooper’s Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/CooperDeVilleORourke/.) Together we can make a difference in the life of our beloved Cooper as he battles this crisis with the elegance and resilience he has always shown.

We saw the pain on Cooper’s face and in his movements, and watched his loving, sweet personality become angrier, more hostile because of the pain. When he first started limping (in April of this year), the way he supported his leg, we thought he injured his foot and treated him accordingly. It seemed to be getting better.

But then a few days later he was unable to walk on his right leg and limped everywhere, tucking his back paw against his body. So that night we drove him 45 minutes to the Latham, NY, animal hospital because it was the closest place that was open at that hour.

The emergency Latham vet immediately suspected a cruciate tear (also called an anterior cruciate ligament injury, or ACL injury) and diagnosed him with angular limb deformity. He was later diagnosed by his regular vet as having bilateral (both knees) torn cruciates after they did anesthetized X-rays. We initially expected surgery on the right knee, but our vet (at Burnt Hills Animal Hospital) said the left knee was also badly injured and couldn’t support his body after surgery. He needs immediate bilateral surgery.

Donations will go toward the $10,000-plus cost of the bilateral cruciate surgery and follow-up care, such as physical therapy and other treatments. Every dollar raised will go directly toward Cooper’s medical expenses, ensuring he receives the best care possible.