ZOINKS!! Save Shaka Zulu!!

Hello, my name is Akeela Kongdara, and I am a senior at The University of Texas at Austin. I will be graduating in May, but I could potentially lose one of my best friends, who has been with me since I was Sixteen. My dog, my best friend, and lastly, my baby, Shaka Zulu, recently fell ill. What started with a little limp turned to the inability to walk in three days. We've been racing to find out the root cause of his problems and fortunately have met with a neurologist. To continue finding the underlying issue, Zulu is in dire need of receiving an MRI and, potentially, a spinal fluid tap. With all the chaos in the brain and the constant changing, it is essential that we get these tests done as quickly as possible before his condition advances. To get these tests done, I have to pay upfront the total amount as the specialists do not offer payment plans or assistance. Zulu is scheduled for an appointment for an MRI on Friday, February 11, 2022.

A bit about our story:

Days before my sixteenth birthday, my hometown hosted a city-wide adoption day. All the adoption agencies and shelters placed an initiative to give as many animals their forever homes. I’ve been obsessed with dogs my whole life and even learned a vast majority of registered dog breeds and exciting facts about them. After my mom picked me up from basketball practice, she suggested driving around town and “window” shop for pups. I was quick to say yes, and soon after, my family was going around to the different pop-up shops looking at all the dogs up for adoption. We made it to our local Pet Smart and two agencies had their pups waiting to be adopted. My family had no intentions of adopting any dogs that day because we had a pup at home. I looked around and locked eyes with Zulu. My dad was opposed to getting another dog,

but I knew I was taking Zulu home that day.

Zulu was in a large crate with his siblings, and at the litter’s kennel there was a line of people waiting to meet the pups and potentially take them home. I sat in the back and waited for the line to die down - one by one, each of Zulu’s siblings was being taken and adopted to their forever homes. Except for Zulu, as people approached the kennel, he found a way to hide in the deepest corner away from all the strangers that intruded on his temporary home. It was apparent that he was the timidest and the runt of the litter. As soon as the line died down, I sat at the kennel entrance, and Zulu came straight to me! I guess it was love at first sight for him, as well! I decided to add Shaka to his name after former UT Basketball Coach Shaka Smart (This was long before I knew I was coming to UT).

At sixteen, I tried to train Zulu the best I could, from crate training to tricks… heck… he even learned how to sense when I was feeling stressed or overwhelmed and would bury his head into my lap! But, somehow, we never learned to walk correctly on a leash.

For my first two years of college, I could not bring Zulu due to financial circumstances and the lack of space that Austin apartments have. For my Junior year, I was determined last school year to get Zulu to Austin, and it happened! Zulu fell in love with the amount of green space in Austin as we spent the warm months hiking. As he has gotten older, Zulu’s energy level has leveled out and he has become a glitz and glam type of pal (We recently learned that he loves sporting pajamas and can’t ever go anywhere without a tie or bandana on). We tried apartment life last year, and I didn’t think it was enough for Zulu, and I wanted him to have a whole house to roam.

Zulu has one of the brightest personalities for a dog you will ever meet. While a bit timid at first, he has become a favorite furry friend to everyone! Although he hasn't been well the past week, he is still his goofy self, making funny faces, making awkward eye contact and trying to get your attention to pet him. He is Zulu!!

Although I am a college student, I’ve tried my hardest to give Zulu the life he deserves (I even recently upgraded to an SUV so I could fit a life crate in my car for him)! Now I am in my last semester at UT, and it’s been extremely tough with him being sick and the chaos of becoming an adult. Just our initial vet visit was a lot with the medications and all the materials I’ve had to get to make him comfortable until we can find a solution. If you’d like to donate and help our cause, we greatly appreciate it. <333