Greetings,

As many of you already know, my dog is my best friend. He comes with me just about anywhere, from cross-country trips to hiking or camping in the mountains. Opie and I have had many adventures together, and I am beyond blessed for the nine years we've had together. What you may not know is that Opie is my emotional support animal. I know many people get their dogs registered for various reasons, but I assure you, my dog helps me get out of bed every day. He helps me get outside, exercise, and enjoy things I usually wouldn't feel comfortable doing on my own.

On Wednesday, August 27th, Opie had a routine vet appointment to get some shots updated. Anyone who knows Opie knows he has a relatively large fatty lump, and in the past year, he has gained some more lumps. While I've stayed on top of getting them tested to ensure they're just fat, we got some unfortunate news. He has a tiny and hard lump on the back of his neck that appeared in the last few months. After the vet took a small sample, she diagnosed "cells commonly associated with cancer."

It is her recommendation, based on Opie's generally good health and activity level, that I get the lump removed and analyzed as soon as possible. While he's under anesthesia, it's best to have the larger lump removed as well because it is very close to impeding his ability to walk. This procedure is estimated to be $2,024.79.

Unfortunately, I don't have that much, but I will be working on getting a second job to start working towards that goal. I am also coming here to ask for my community's help.

I know everything is generally awful.... Opie's situation, in tandem with *gestures vaguely everywhere*, is my own personal little hell. If you have the means to donate, I would be incredibly grateful. If you could share, so perhaps other folks with means can donate, I would be equally grateful.

I'll settle for a little good energy, prayer, spell, incantation, whatever is your vibe in Opie's honor.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all my big feelings. I appreciate any help that might get me closer to my goal.

With love,

Katie and Opie