On January 18th, Brutus underwent emergency surgery to remove a squeaker toy lodged in his abdomen.

We believed that would be the end of the crisis.

It wasn’t.

In the weeks that followed, Brutus developed what we later learned was a septic abdomen. He suffered violent vomiting, shaking, and obvious pain. Over the course of two weeks, we rushed him to three different emergency veterinary visits, each time terrified we were losing him.

It became devastatingly clear that Brutus was dying.

A fist-sized cyst had formed in his abdomen following the initial surgery, and his body was fighting a severe infection. The only chance to save his life was another life-saving emergency surgery to remove the cyst and flush his septic abdomen.

We chose love over logistics.

We said yes.

Brutus survived.

We carry pet insurance on all of our dogs, with a $15,000 annual coverage limit—specifically so we would never have to hesitate when life-saving care was needed. Unfortunately, Brutus had already required two TPLO surgeries within the past year, and when combined with his emergency surgery in Rochester on January 18th and his hospitalization in Orchard Park, our policy reached its limit before he was admitted to Green Acres for this final procedure.

We financed an additional $15,000 to give Brutus a fighting chance, and we would do it again without hesitation. Now, we are reaching out to our community for support.

Brutus is not “just a dog” —he is one of our children. My husband and I have fostered pups and adopted three dogs from a local rescue. We have always tried to give back by fostering, donating supplies, and supporting local rescues whenever possible. Our dogs mean the world to us and we would do nearly anything for them.

Any contribution—$1, $5, $10, or whatever you’re able to give—will help tremendously. If you’re unable to donate, sharing Brutus’s story means more than you know.

When we brought Brutus home late last evening, his brothers—Lupin and Rudy—wept with joy. We wept too. We are beyond relieved to have him home where he belongs.

While dollars come and go, we knew we would never get another Brutus.

Thank you for choosing compassion, for standing with us, and for helping us continue to support rescue animals. ❤️

We hope Brutus will be mostly recovered in two weeks, and will likely be up to some sort of mischief (not squeaker related of course).

From our entire family to yours...

Thank you. <3

Anna, Troy, Lupin, Rudy, and Brutus.