Hello everyone,

My name is Becky Elliott and I'm reaching out for support for Bailey, beloved pet of Nomes and Michael Scott. Nomes is my best friend of 10+ years and Michael is like a little brother to me. And Bailey is my dog's sister.

Short Request:

We’re looking to raise $3800 USD ($5220 CAD, $5400 AUD) towards emergency veterinary care and surgery on Bailey’s lower spine (including tail amputation) after an accident last Friday, March 13 caused a caudal sacral fracture to Bailey’s back (see picture).

Who is Bailey?

Bailey is a three-year-old Aussie Shepherd x Poodle who lives to run in the forest, swim after ducks, and snuggle and wrestle with her favorite humans, and dog brother Blu.

Her third birthday (just yesterday, March 18) was spent on complete rest, in a diaper, in pain, and with a tail that will never wag again. Some pups get doggy cakes and bones on their birthday; Bailey got Gabapentin (a pain-relieving sedative). She hasn’t gone for walks or runs in her favorite places for a week, and it will be many more weeks until she can get back to even gentle leashed walks.

The Incident:

Nomes & Michael went out for date night, closing the door firmly and locking the handle lock. Unaware that the latch didn’t fully engage, the wind later blew the door open.

While they were at dinner, Bailey saw an opportunity for exploring, or perhaps to find her parents. They realized she was missing when they arrived home nearly an hour later. Thankfully, they were able to track down the street she was on by the air tag on her collar. It was nearly 1.5 kms from home.

After some panicked calling, Bailey eventually came out of hiding. She had been under a bush in someone’s front yard. Unusual for an intrepid, sniffer-driven dog, but they didn’t think too much of it.

What was weird was the zero tail wags, especially at seeing Michael (her most favorite person in the world). Thinking she was just scared at having been lost and away from her humans, they bundled her into the car and took her home, thanking God they’d found her.

It wasn’t until bedtime that night, when Nomes was petting her, that things really became obvious she was very not okay. Nomes noticed an unusual ‘lump’ along her lower back; serious swelling, it felt like. And investigating the non-wagging tail further, discovered how limp and lifeless it felt.

Unsure whether it was a spinal cord-related injury, they carefully loaded her onto a board and carried her downstairs. Normally, these kinds of expeditions are frowned on by Bailey and she scrambles up and runs away, but she only lifted her head. That scared her humans even further.

The emergency vets were wonderful and were able to coax her to walk a short way, which was a relief. Nomes was still concerned about the tail and asked them to pay special attention to that.

A few hours later, after trying to doze in the back of the van in the cold in the middle of the night, the vet told them that Nomes was right and Bailey had suffered a caudal sacral fracture, meaning a break in the lower, tail-end portion of the spine.

She showed Nomes the x-ray, where a big gap existed in Bailey’s spine, explaining the swelling and the limp tail. She explained that it would likely mean her tail would need to be amputated. They were thankful to God that it wasn't a spinal cord injury.

Context and Next Steps:

For those who know Nomes and Michael, tail wags are a big deal. Even the humans in the Scott pack (and their friends) wag their tails when happy, and when Michael proposed to Nomes, he asked her if she’d like to live with him in Tailwag Town (cutesie, yeah, but it essentially represents a place of joy and optimism, adventuring through life). The news of the pack mascot losing her tail was devastating, although they were grateful it wasn’t worse.

Bailey is currently on three different types of pain meds. Unable to go to the bathroom herself, she’s also spent the last 5 days in a diaper with her humans having to ‘help’ her (and yes, that does mean what you might think it means). When her meds are working and she’s not trembling in pain, she sits or lies by the door, begging to go out for walks or runs in the park. She can’t, of course.

Her surgery is scheduled for Monday, March 23rd. Because it’s more complicated than a simple tail amputation, as it's the vertebrae adjacent to the spinal cord and embedded in the pelvis region, the vet estimated the cost at around $2800 USD.

The initial emergency vet visit, pain meds, and supplies ran just under $1000, and they’re not sure what the future holds in terms of vet visits, further surgeries, and supplies.

When it rains, it pours, and Nomes & Michael have had it raining with a few trials lately. While focusing on the abundance that God has given, they’ve still recently endured 4 months of joblessness (Michael) and Nomes not being able to work due to waiting for her green card. Michael’s (new to them) car was also just deemed a total loss after a truck smashed into it while he was sitting at a traffic light. Nomes also just discovered extensive mold on the subfloor of their bathroom, so a full bathroom renovation is going to be needed to make that space safe. With these financial struggles, they are looking for help to cover some costs of this emergency for their beloved Bailey Bug.

They were hesitant to have this set up, as they know many have trials and financial challenges, but I wanted to provide loved ones the opportunity to help out this beautiful family during these ongoing trials. Please prayerfully consider. Ongoing prayers are much appreciated!