My 11 year old dog—the baby that has made my life whole since he was 4 months old—had a huge tumor on the side of his neck.  It was getting bigger.  It was bleeding.  I could see the energy draining out of my sweet Rebel as he got weaker.  I spent the last $300 I had getting him seen but I had no money left for the surgery that would save him.

Rebel came into our lives after my grandfather passed.  I moved in with grandma to help out and there was a hole in our hearts.  We saw this little boxer pup listed on Craig’s List and I said to her, “now we have enough room in the house and in our hearts”.

He has spent these last 11 years filling our hearts.  Then when I lost grandma, he was there again making the grief bearable.

That’s not to say we don’t have our moments.  Rebel has a big personality.  He knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to tell us!  In fact, it was that attitude as a puppy that earned him his name.

What do I mean, you ask?

Well, there’s the house rule about no dogs on the furniture.  He interprets that to mean if his back feet are touching the floor, he’s in compliance.  Then there was the occasion when I wanted the front drapes closed.  I closed them.  He reopened them.  Oh, and when it’s time for a bath…  he helps by throwing his legs out spread eagle so I can’t carry him through the door.

But he is the love of my life.  We’ve built our lives together for 11 years.  He’s loved and protected all the people I love—my grandma, my mom, my daughter, my fiancé.  He makes our house feel like a home.

If you’re a dog lover, you can imagine the pain and desperation I felt watching my boy slowly dying before my eyes and not being able to help him.  It’s mind-blowing that kind strangers understood and chose to save him.  To all you generous folks, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for keeping our family whole.