Our baby's name is Pogi, which means "endearingly handsome" in our native language. There is no other name that could better describe him, Pogi has been our family's baby for over 10 years now and nothing could have prepared us for the overwhelming amount of pain that was to come.

In his prime Pogi was a physically active and happy boy who often got the zoomies. He loved jumping up to keep us company on our couch, hopping onto our beds to sleep near our feet (he'd never accept cuddles unless we were overwhelmingly sad; he could tell if you were faking it for attention lol), and loved taking walks to the park near our house on both sunny and rainy days alike. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on our boy and the activities that he loved doing so much induced a painful spinal disorder called IVDD that keeps him from doing all the things he loved.

Before his diagnosis Pogi had lost feeling in both of his hind legs, dropped off so much of his healthy weight, and was going to the bathroom less and less. He eventually wasn't able to eat or drink because of the pain. Upon taking him to our vet, they delivered the most heart breaking news. His IVDD was most likely stage 5 and surgery was on the table, but chances of recovery were low due to his age, the stage, and what seemed like his inability to go on. We were devastated. The week before he was running and jumping as usual and as quickly as a flip of a switch he was at death's door, unable to move an inch and paralyzed from the waist down. We carried him home with heavy hearts along with a few prescribed medications to handle his pain and prepared for the impossible.

Our family was inconsolable, upon realizing the gravity and finality of his diagnosis we all took turns saying our goodbyes, over and over again never wanting to let go. At the same time, we tried to do everything in our power to at least get him to a healthier weight to make his transition as comfortable as possible. Hand-feeding him boiled chicken as he didn't have the energy to lift his head and sloshing the water bowl under his mouth so he'd know where to find it. At first he'd only eat a few pieces of chicken and a couple licks of water. Time was ticking for our boy and there was nothing we could do to slow it down.

But as time went on we noticed a change in him, at first it was nearly unnoticeable. He'd lift his head at the call of his name, try to prop himself up with his front legs, and gradually eat more and more each day. A few times we've found him slightly off of his dog bed seemingly trying to drag himself over to his relief station. A week passes and he's regained feeling in one of his two previously incapacitated back legs and is now able to hobble to wherever it is he needs to go. He can even pee on his own! It was nothing short of a miracle, our boy is telling us it's not his time yet and we're gonna listen.

I am sharing this story on behalf of my sister, Estee-Nichole. Yes, Pogi is the family dog but before that he is her litte baby boy. He has seen her through her youth, multiple moves across cities, and was her own personal guard when she broke her leg this time last year.

Estee (or Nichole, depending on how you know my sister), has not held back any resource when it comes to her boy, both physical and monetary. Before Pogi started to show progress Nichole would clean him twice daily as he would often poop himself, she even made a space for herself on the couch beside his enclosure just so she could watch him through the night.

Pogi does have dog insurance but within the past year he has had his right eye removed (thus his nickname pirate) as well as a few benign tumors on his head cut off. Along with the costs of his medications there are CT scans, neurology specialist visits, and recovery to consider. As you can imagine, invasive back surgery to top it all off won't be cheap.

On behalf of my entire family I'd like to thank you for reading this far. Even if you don't have the capacity to give, the time you spent reading this means the world. Anything helps, even sharing our story could make the biggest difference in our lives. Please help us save our Pogi boy!