Hello! My name is Rylee, and this is my dog, Smokey. Smokey just turned 5 years old and spent those 5 years searching for a place where she could be loved. She was abandoned as a puppy in Tennessee and went from house to house in three states, including Colorado, before finally being abandoned in the backyard of a vacant house in Washington while her owners moved to a new location.

My Aunt caught word of this abandoned dog in the backyard of a vacant house an hour away and didn’t stop talking about her for weeks, looking for someone who could take her. Even from our first time meeting, I knew she belonged in our family. We took her home, and Smokey came to me and my aunt disoriented, dirty, matted, and alone with dirt and debris caking her long, thick coat. We spent over 8 hours shaving off all the matted fur and went through 2 sets of clippers doing so. Despite her unfortunate circumstances, she is the most trustworthy and loving companion I could ever ask for.

Now Smokey was set. After 5 years, she had finally found her forever home, and I had found a dog to bring on adventures in the woods. Smokey found joy in barking at squirrels, sniffing every inch of game trails, and running through the woods like a wild animal with me. And then only four months later, the running stopped, and she began limping on her hind leg. I had just started college after high school, and with no help or time, I watched her slow down to the point where she couldn’t even walk through a parking lot without taking a break.

The vet broke it to me that she had torn her CCL ligament in her knee. I had researched every possible alternative, hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but she needs a TPLO surgery that costs a total of almost $5000. Not only that, but there is a very likely chance that she will tear the other one in the near future, bringing the cost up to a possible $10,000. Your donation will help me afford this costly procedure and get Smokey back on her feet! She has only known a warm, safe environment for 6 months and is now spending her days in her bed, waiting for the adventures to start again.

Smokey has been let down, neglected, and left cold and hungry by everybody she has met for the last 5 years, and I am not going to be another disappointment to her. Thank you for your kindness and for taking the time to read her story.