Support Kringle's Recovery with Your Gift

For over a year, our family has consisted of two young girls, a dog named Checkers, and their mama (me). When we first got Checkers, we didn't know what we were in for. He is the most friendly, loving, trusting, and energetic dog, not to mention HUGE too! We got Checkers from the PE teacher at our school, whose dog just happened to have puppies. We love Checkers very much, but he was a lot to handle, and I felt like he needed a friend to keep him company during the day while the kids were at school and I was at work. That's how we ended up adopting Kringle. We started searching for dogs (preferably housebroken) on different internet sites.

When I came upon a picture of Kringle, my heart melted. I immediately sent an email to the ASPCA to find out more about him. How is he with kids, cats, other dogs? Is he housebroken? I sent a few more emails about other dogs, but I kept coming back to Kringle. I eventually showed his picture to my daughter, and she was as enthralled with him as I was. She begged me to send an application to adopt him, and so I did, but I warned her that just because we filled out an application doesn't mean we'll be approved.

Fast-forward to three days later, and we're picking him up from his foster mom's home. At first, he was not too sure about Checkers, but after a couple of hours, they were playing and getting along like they've known each other for years. Ever since that day, he has filled in the missing piece of our family. He is loving, playful, and always snuggles up with us in the evening. He has become Checkers' best friend and our snuggle buddy/protector.

After two short months of loving and caring for Kringle, he fell off the back steps and broke his front elbow in three places. I immediately took him to the emergency vet hospital, where they took x-rays and delivered some devastating news. They told me that because of where the break was, he would need a surgery that would cost between $8,000 and $11,000, or the cheaper option would be to amputate, costing between $6,000 and $8,000. That night, after a $700 bill, I brought him home on pain medication and hoped to find a better option.

The following day, I sent a text to a cousin who is a vet and asked them to look at the x-ray and give me their opinion. They gave me the same devastating news I had received at the hospital the night before. I then started calling countless vet hospitals to discuss their pricing of surgical options. Time and time again, I was told that the vet office did not do surgical procedures and to try a different vet office. Running low on hope, I called the bank to figure out my financial options and ended up getting a loan for $6,000 to at least cover the cost of the amputation.

At the end of the day, after no success, my best friend came into the room and told me to try NC State Veterinary Hospital. When I did, they quoted me a cheaper price, and we scheduled an appointment for the following day. During the appointment, they looked over Kringle and gave him another x-ray to see a different view.

After reviewing all the data they had on Kringle and his injury, they suggested a surgery to put a screw through his joint and put two plates on the upper bone where the other two fractures were. They quoted a price of $6,000-$8,000. I explained to them my financial situation, and they decided to donate $3,000 towards his surgery to help cover the cost because he is young and it is a great learning procedure for the current students at the hospital. I cried and hugged the surgeon for doing so much to help our beloved puppy.

The following day, Kringle's surgery was an eight-hour procedure. They explained that it was a very complicated surgery; however, everything went as planned, and Kringle is doing great! We were able to bring him home with a long recovery. He is on six different medications and has to do physical therapy daily for the next six weeks. We still have several follow-up appointments.

While we are very thankful for NC State's donation to help our dog keep his leg, it is a financial strain on our family. We are hoping that our story touches your heart and leads you to donate as much as you are able; even $10 goes a long way. Our goal is to pay off the loan we had to take out to cover Kringle's surgery costs. Every dollar will go towards Kringle’s vet bills. Thank you for reading our story.