My name is Joseph, and I'm making this GoFundMe for my dog, Sam. This is bound to be a bit long-winded, I apologize for that, but I'd like to explain how I came to this point, and how much it takes for me to make this and ask for your help.

I've had Sam for 14 years, since my 18th birthday when she was given to me as a little puppy small enough to sit in my hand and sleep on my face (which happened often). She's grown up almost entirely around me and my mom, and it's no understatement to say she's a part of the family. The last five or six years have been extraordinarily rough for us, with my mother becoming disabled and us both catching nearly life-ending cases of COVID, and we've been struggling against homelessness and trying to save money since. I was able to find a place to stay and save up money with the help of my girlfriend and her family, but not long after that, she'd go on to lose her father and I'd use whatever time and money I could to help keep them stable while they dealt with it, while also helping my mother keep a roof over her head and take care of my dog, which I wasn't able to bring with me. Recently, I was finally able to get my mother and Sam out close enough to me to visit. Through all of this, we never even toyed with the idea of a GoFundMe, because we never wanted to take away from anyone else who might need it more. We're still dealing with all those problems to this day, but it's come to a head as we've noticed a lump on Sam's stomach. We've used what money we can to get her to a vet today, and though she needs to go back for blood tests and X-rays to get the full picture, the vet believes it to be a tumor, as well as a possible cancer in her gums we weren't even aware of and maybe even a swollen lymph node on her shoulder.

As it stands, we don't even have the money for the tests to see if she's even healthy enough to have a surgery, let alone the surgery itself. We were quoted $1500 for the surgery, and I'm asking for $2000 to cover the testing fees as well as transportation to and from the vet, as we're also currently without a vehicle. I know this is a big ask, and not one I feel comfortable with, but I love my dog, and I want her to be healthy, and happy, and I want more time with her now that she's finally back near me. She doesn't deserve to suffer just because I feel bad asking for help, so here I am. I'll keep updating this as we take her in and get more information, but I promise that every cent will be used to help her, and anything not needed will be given back to everyone however possible.