Jade Gonzalez

KRAVEN IS OFFICIALLY ON THE ROAD TO HIS FOREVER HOME! ❤️ Our sweet boy is currently halfway through the first leg of his 20-hour journey from Atlanta, GA, to Denver, CO! My fabulous fiancé volunteered to drive him so I could attend my bestie's engagement party tonight! I'm so grateful he's spending his day off doing this for Kravy. He's truly been the best foster dog dad! ❤️ Just a couple of weeks ago, Kraven was sitting in a shelter with a devastating gunshot injury to his face, heartworm disease, and an uncertain future. Today, he's on his way to his new momma, who is ready to love him, advocate for him, and get him the medical care he so desperately deserves. I LOVE his new mama, and bless her heart, she's listened to my decompression lecture approximately 10 times now without an ounce of judgment. Please send her ALL the good vibes as she helps Kravy navigate this huge transition. He's been through so much, and I just want this next chapter to be everything he deserves. Zac is making the first leg of the journey to Columbia, Missouri, where Kraven will be handed off to his new mama for the remainder of his trip to Colorado. That's roughly 20 hours of round-trip driving for EACH of them, multiple states, lots of potty breaks, and a whole lot of love to get this boy to his next chapter. ❤️ We are still fundraising for Kraven's extensive medical needs. A conservative estimate for his care is around $10,000 between his extensive jaw reconstruction and heartworm treatment. (Please pray his heartworm disease isn't too advanced. I'm genuinely nervous about that part.) If you've been following his story, please consider donating or sharing his GoFundMe. Every single dollar makes a difference. To everyone who has donated, shared, pledged, advocated, or simply rooted for this sweet boy: THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart, I wish I could hug every single person who helped make this happen. Something I've learned through rescue work is that we often try to create a little emotional distance between ourselves and the animals we help. Not because we don't care, but because we care so deeply that sometimes it's the only way to protect our hearts. But every once in a while, a dog comes along who makes that distance impossible. Kraven was one of those dogs for me. And because of all of you, a dog who could have easily become another heartbreaking shelter statistic is instead getting a chance at a life full of love, safety, and healing. You helped turn what could have been the end of his story into a brand-new beginning. I hope you know how much that means to me. From a shelter kennel in Atlanta to a forever home in Colorado. Kraven, you have absolutely no idea how many people are cheering you on. ❤️ More updates to come as our very special passenger makes his way across the country!

A little Kraven update. ❤️ I touched down from Chicago Friday night, and by Saturday evening, Zac and I were picking up our buddy Kraven. Kraven is temporarily fostering with us for about a week before Zac very graciously makes the trip from Atlanta to Missouri to meet his new owner halfway from Denver and officially send this sweet boy into the next chapter of his life. How lucky am I to have a partner who is willing to jump headfirst into all this crazy dog stuff with me? Having Kraven here and giving him the chance to truly decompress has been incredibly rewarding, but also a little heartbreaking. The more he settles, the more I’m seeing just how much his body has been carrying. I’m starting to notice the labored breathing from his heartworm disease. I can see the misalignment of his jaw from the gunshot injury every time I look at his little face. And I’m also starting to understand some of his behavior differently. Kraven can be very skittish and fearful, especially around barriers. What has really stood out to me, though, is how different he is when his pain is well managed. His barrier reactivity is essentially nonexistent, and we have seen zero dog reactivity in the house. When the pain medication begins wearing off, he becomes much more fearful, jumpy, and reactive around barriers. Obviously, I can’t say medically what is causing what, but seeing the difference firsthand has made me wonder how much of what we previously saw as “behavior” may actually be connected to pain, discomfort, and trauma. He’s also a little nervous around men, but what gets me is how badly he seems to want to trust them anyway. He keeps running up to Zac, offering him his paw, accepting a few pets, and then suddenly darting away like he’s afraid Zac might change his mind. A few minutes later, he comes right back and tries again. That is Kraven in a nutshell right now: scared, cautious, and still choosing to try. This dog survived being shot in the face. He lived with a severely damaged jaw for months. He is heartworm positive. And somehow, underneath all of that, he is still affectionate, gentle, goofy, and so eager to feel safe. I also wanted to share Kraven’s GoFundMe again and thank everyone who has already gotten us this far. We are only about $1,500 away from our goal! Please keep sharing, and if you’re local and donate $20, I will personally come walk your dog for free whenever you want. Honestly, take me up on it. We both know that is cheaper than Wag. The GoFundMe is specifically helping cover Kraven’s medical care. His rescue is also helping us with some of the extensive travel costs involved in getting him to his new home, so every dollar people can put toward his medical fund truly helps. And if you know of any grants, veterinary assistance funds, foundations, nonprofits, or other resources that help rescues take on severely injured dogs, please send them my way. Every lead matters. We fought so hard to get Kraven out of the shelter. Now I want to fight just as hard to make sure getting out wasn’t the end of his rescue story. I want him to know what it feels like to be healthy, comfortable, safe, and deeply loved. ❤️

Hi, I’m Jade Gonzalez, and I’m raising funds on behalf of Miller’s Legacy Dog Rescue and Rehab Inc. for a dog who has completely captured my heart: Kraven. Kraven’s story is incredibly difficult to tell, but after everything this dog has survived, I believe he deserves to have it told. Kraven came into the shelter with an injury that would eventually become impossible to ignore. His jaw was broken and visibly crooked. We later learned the devastating cause. Kraven had been shot. A bullet had caused significant damage to his jaw, leaving him living with an injury that will now require major reconstructive surgery. And somehow, through all of that, Kraven remained one of the sweetest dogs I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I met Kraven as a shelter volunteer. I spend time with a lot of dogs, and I love a lot of dogs, but every once in a while there is one who just gets you. Kraven was that dog for me. He wasn’t defined by what had happened to him. He was affectionate. Gentle. Goofy. Incredibly cuddly. He loved being close to people and would happily soak up every ounce of affection you were willing to give him. He knew “sit” and “paw,” walked nicely on leash, and somehow continued to trust people despite having every reason not to. His jaw told the story of what someone had done to him. His personality told a completely different story about who he was. As Kraven’s time at the shelter continued, his situation became increasingly urgent. His medical needs were significant, and eventually we learned that getting him out would not be simple. Because of the condition of his jaw, an adopter would need to sign a medical waiver accepting responsibility for his care, or a rescue would need to step forward with a committed placement. On top of the damage from the gunshot wound, Kraven is also heartworm positive and will need heartworm treatment as part of his recovery. It felt like obstacle after obstacle was being placed in front of a dog who had already endured far too much. As his deadline approached, I spent what I feared could be one of Kraven’s last afternoons sitting with him outside. We soaked up the sun. We snuggled. He ate cheese. I tried to give him a few hours where absolutely nothing was expected of him except to be a dog who was loved. I remember thinking that I wanted so much better for him. So I kept asking. I posted his story. I made videos. I messaged people. I tagged rescues. I asked strangers to share him. I asked people to pledge toward his care. I reached out anywhere I thought there might be even the smallest possibility of someone saying yes. I knew what we were asking was enormous. Saving Kraven didn't simply mean finding someone willing to take home a sweet dog. It meant finding people willing to take responsibility for a dog facing major medical treatment and an uncertain road to recovery. But people started showing up. One share became another. Messages poured in. People who had never met Kraven pledged money toward his care. Volunteers and advocates worked behind the scenes. An incredible person stepped forward to help care for him through his recovery. And then Miller’s Legacy Dog Rescue and Rehab Inc. said yes. Kraven was officially rescued. That moment meant everything, but rescue was only the beginning. Now we have to help put this boy back together. Kraven will need extensive veterinary care, including reconstruction of the jaw damaged by the gunshot wound. He will also need treatment for heartworm disease, along with the veterinary care, medications, monitoring, follow-up appointments, and recovery support that come with taking on a medically complex dog. This is going to be a significant undertaking for Miller’s Legacy. But Kraven finally has something he desperately needed: people in his corner. He survived being shot. He survived living with a broken jaw. He survived the shelter. He made it through his deadline. And through every bit of it, he remained unbelievably loving. Now I want the rest of Kraven’s story to be about healing. Every donation to this fundraiser will help Miller’s Legacy Dog Rescue and Rehab Inc. provide the medical care Kraven needs as he begins this next chapter. Whether you can give $5, $25, $100, or simply share his story, you are becoming part of the village that fought to get this dog to safety. To everyone who pledged, shared, commented, tagged a rescue, sent a message, made a connection, or refused to let Kraven disappear: thank you. You helped save his life. Now we need your help giving him the life we fought so hard to save. Kraven has spent long enough carrying the physical reminder of what someone did to him. It’s time to help him heal. ❤️