In May, my husband traveled to Arizona for a photo shoot in the Monument Valley. Every day, the little dog pictured here would travel from camp site to camp site, begging for food and water in an effort to stay alive. When he wasn't begging, he would lay in the sand to sleep and rest. His eyes were cloudy from malnourishment and he was covered in ticks. My husband removed more than 10 ticks just while he was on his trip.

My family loves animals and when my husband sent the photo, we begged him to bring the dog home. We wanted to give this beautiful dog a much longer and happier life. My husband drove home to Colorado with Zeke in the backseat - he barely moved and slept most of the way.

When they arrived home, we fell even more love with this little survivor. We bathed him, fed him, and reassured him he was safe. We took him to our veterinarian the next day. Poor Zeke was severely malnourished and we discovered he was only a puppy - he still had his baby teeth.

The vet diagnosed him a severe case of ehrlichiosis as well as giardia and worms. He had a 104 (F) degree fever and was barely functioning. After a few days, Zeke required a blood transfusion because his red blood cell count was so low. He rebounded and started acting like a puppy, playing with our other dogs and chewing!

But he continues to struggle with his health and has undergone several more tests with specialists and will likely need another blood transfusion.

We have contacted some organizations about help with medical bills but because we did not get through their rescue, it's unclear if they can help.

We are reaching out to fellow animal lovers for support and help with Zeke's continued medical care. Any amount you can spare helps. It will go toward his future expenses!

Kortny Rolston-Duce

Animal Lover