Nikko's Love Story
Without Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, we would have lost our protector, our playmate and our best friend. I’m happy to report that Nikko has almost completely healed from his surgery. You can just tell that all he wants now is to get outside and chase the kids around!
A Letter from Nikko's Mom
We picked Nikko from his litter when he was only 3 weeks old, when he came waddling over to my husband for attention. We knew then that he would have a place in our family forever. Prior to choosing Nikko, a Bernese Mountain dog, I did a lot of research on the breed to make sure he would be the right fit for us. Big dogs are prone to cancers, hip dysplasia and other size related ailments but his breed is also known to be loving, great with children and playful. We thought the prospective benefits were worth the risks.
Nikko is the perfect Bernese Mountain dog—he is extremely loving and loves attention. He loves our kids and wants to be around “his people” at all times. Not only is he intelligent and loving, but he’s goofy too! Nikko was such a fun, playful and huge puppy that we couldn’t help but adore him. Even now, when he wants attention he either lays his big head in our laps or simply stands in front of the TV.
He was 1½ years old when we had our first child, a daughter. He was so gentle and patient with her, especially when she pulled his hair or climbed on his back. It was the same when our son came along 2 years later! The kids loved climbing on Nikko and letting him chase them around the backyard. He is the best friend to us all!
Late one night, after the kids went to bed, Nikko started panting and asking to go outside. I thought that maybe he had eaten one of the kids socks again (somehow, he always finds them!). After letting him out multiple times and trying to get him to go to bed with no success, we knew that something was wrong. Feeling his belly, I noticed that it was really hard and bloated. We immediately rushed him to the emergency vet.
As soon as I walked in, the staff felt Nikko’s tummy and urged me to let them do some x-rays. They were pretty sure his stomach had flipped and that he would need emergency surgery to fix it. This happens in dogs, (it is more common in large breeds) but unfortunately the cause is unknown and the outcome is almost always fatal. Without surgery Nikko would not make it. We would have to consider euthanasia. I knew we couldn’t pay the $6900 for surgery and my heart was broken.
Our gracious doctor came back into the room and told me that she had made some calls and that there was a non-profit called Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, and that they were going to pay for the surgery.
Without Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, we would have lost our protector, our playmate and our best friend.
I’m happy to report that Nikko has almost completely healed from his surgery. You can just tell that all he wants now is to get outside and chase the kids around!
