**UPDATE** READ BELOW AND SEE NEW PHOTOS** HE'S OUT OF SURGERY BUT WE ARE STILL TRYING TO REACH OUR GOAL

Smiley is out of surgery. He did really well. He has pins in his leg (see X-ray) and needs 8 to 12 weeks of confined rest. This was a pretty big surgery and I know he's in pain but he is the sweetest boy and still wags his tail, gives kisses, and wants love. For the first time in his life he has no fleas, his own bed, his own food, all the treats he could want, sleeps in the A/C, has his very first stuffy and could possibly be getting just a teeny tiny smidge spoiled. He has tons of meds to take but he takes them like a champ. You think it's because it's in boiled chicken?? I didn't think so either. It's just because he's the bestest boy. He is adjusting to his "apartment style living" quite well and his appetite is good. I want to thank those of you who have donated and shared this fundraiser. It is appreciated more than you know. We still have a little ways to go so if you can donate, great. No amount is too small. If you can't, please share. We appreciate everyone so much.

We feed stray dogs every day in the Highlands County area. This sweet boy is one of our regular strays and we found him Monday night badly injured. Someone hit him and just left him. We took him to Citrus Animal Clinic in Lake Placid, and they confirmed what we thought. He has a bad break, likely from being hit by a car. His bone is coming through the hole in his leg. We couldn't allow him to be in pain, so we told them to do what they needed to do to help him. The estimate right now is $2500 plus whatever we will need to do for meds and follow-up. He will be with us for at least 8 weeks for recovery. Then we need to get him a loving home. We are asking for donations to help cover the cost of the surgery. You can confirm this is true by calling Citrus Animal Clinic at [phone redacted], and it's under Smiley (that's what we named him).

Anyone who lives in Highlands County knows the issues we have with strays and dumped dogs. We are only trying to help these poor animals, but we can't do it alone. We are not a 501c3, so we don't get donations to help. We pay out of our own pocket for everything, which includes buying pallets of dog food, buying flea medications, paying for vet visits, shots, etc. Anyone who knows me and my husband knows our passion for animals. We have worked with wonderful rescues to get 26 dogs and over 15 cats rescued from this area. This is a larger than normal expense, and we would appreciate any help. Thank you so much.