No matter how much we love our dogs, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re expensive. Not only do they need essentials like food, but dog parents also need to be prepared for an emergency. But sadly, times are currently tough for a lot of people, so not everyone has that kind of money.
11-year-old Zykirah Hilton never expected that her 1-year-old dog named Scrappy would need life-changing surgery. Scrappy was perfectly healthy until he injured his front right paw out of the blue. He seemed like he was in a lot of pain, but Hilton’s family couldn’t afford a vet visit at the moment.
Saving Scrappy
Scrappy is Hilton’s best friend. He means the world to her and she has no idea what she’d do without him. So, when Scrappy got hurt, it was heartbreaking for her to see him in pain.
“If he was in pain, it made me sad,” said Hilton. “Limping around the house, like he was limping on his little foot. So when Scrappy hurt it makes me hurt.”
Hilton’s dad couldn’t afford serious medical care for Scrappy, but he wanted to save the dog in any way possible. So, he reached out to Jennifer Gallagher, the founder of Chick n’ Pups Canine Crusade. He asked her if there was anything she could do to help.
Being the animal lover that she is, Gallagher came to meet Scrappy right away. She spent some time with the little dog and examined his leg as closely as she could. She wanted to help, but she quickly realized that this had to be handled by a vet.
Gallagher understood the family’s struggles. She knew that vets were expensive and that not every family could afford a sudden medical procedure. So, she suggested that Hilton write a letter to Dr. Jessica Loch at Taylor Crossing Animal Hospital.
Hilton’s Letter
Hilton got to work on her letter right away. She explained the situation to Loch and talked about how important Scrappy was to her. She spent more time and effort on her letter than most young kids would. It’s clear that she truly loves her dog.
“I really hope that you all can please help me with my little puppy Scrappy,” Hilton wrote. “Scrappy is a good little dog to me. I am really hoping y’all can fix his little foot. He’s my everything to me. If it wasn’t for Scrappy, I wouldn’t be this brave.”
When Loch read Hilton’s letter, she was very touched. She realized that Scrappy is more than just a dog to her, Scrappy is her world. So, she agreed to take a look at Scrappy’s leg with no charge to Hilton’s family.
Scrappy’s Surgery
Scrappy’s wound turned out to be an untreatable fracture. So, Loch decided that the best way to save him was to amputate his leg. With donations from Chick n’ Pups Canine Crusade and Wags 4 Wishes, Loch was able to give Scrappy surgery without charging Hilton at all.
Hilton was sad when she found out that Scrappy would lose his leg, but she was ultimately happy that he would be okay. Scrappy stayed with Loch for about a week as he healed from surgery, but then he was ready to head home. Finally, things were happy again for Hilton and Scrappy.
“He is my best, best, best, best friend,” Hilton said. “When I am sad or crying he just licks the tears off my face and puts new ones up there, like happy tears, tears of joy.”
Loch plans to stay in touch with Hilton and Scrappy through letters and through in-person visits. Now, Hilton wants to be a vet one day, so Loch wants to help her as much as she can.
Chick n’ Pups Canine Crusade doesn’t usually help with surgeries like this, but they felt that this was a special circumstance. If they received more donations, they would be more than happy to save more dogs in need too. If you want to support other dogs like Scrappy and many rescue dogs, please donate to Chick n’ Pups.
H/T: wsfa.com
Featured Image: @chicknpups/Facebook and Screenshot, wsfa.com
Toledo, United States.
