You have no idea how thankful we all are. I cried until I couldn’t open my eyes. For this to have been a real option and to receive this help is truly something I can never say thank you for enough. All we want is a healthy puppy that can live the happiest life possible in our family. Thank you so much for allowing Sandor an opportunity to heal and continue making us so happy!
Sandor’s Mom
Sandor
My 6 and 9- year-old boys lost their doggie best friend to cancer in January. They had never lived without a dog. I told them when the time was right they could have a puppy. Things just seemed to align when my co-worker’s dog had pups at just the right time for one to be weaned and in our home by my son’s 6th birthday in March! We chose the runt because we heard they bond more strongly, and called him Sandor, which means œProtector of Man.
That might have initially been a stretch since he was very shy and scared. But he’s grown into his name! Yes, he’s still cautious with outsiders. But he protects our hearts and feeds our souls every day! He’s the missing piece we didn’t know we needed until we found it.
When the boys get home from school, he grabs their shirts in his teeth and leads them into the living room, where he proceeds to climb on top of them as soon as they sit down. Whenever the boys go to bed, he’s right there snuggling in. Sandor is in bliss just being with them.
And me? I’ve never had a bad day without this dog curling up next to me. I’ve never had a happy day that this puppy didn’t dance in the kitchen with me. The kids are his priority but when they’re at their father’s, he’s my hiking buddy and my constant companion.
We’ve worried about our boy since soon after we got him. He’s had problems with diarrhea and vomiting his whole young life. We thought it was a food allergy, which the boys understood since they’re both Celiac. But no matter how careful we were about what Sandor ate, he still had symptoms and he was losing an alarming amount of weight.
Our vet said the only chance to help him was exploratory abdominal surgery. The guilt in my heart and my stomach to not know what to do next for an innocent puppy because of the high financial estimate was heartbreaking. My children went to bed unsure if they’d lose a second beloved dog in a year.
Thanks to the caring people who support Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, that didn’t happen. After his procedure, the surgeon called us and said it was a miracle Sandor had lived this long. He took out two feet of intestine to remove a huge ball of scar tissue that had been squeezing his intestines and leaching all his nutrients. He said he expects our boy will now grow like any other puppy!
You have no idea how thankful we all are. I cried until I couldn’t open my eyes. For this to have been a real option and to receive this help is truly something I can never say thank you for enough. All we want is a healthy puppy that can live the happiest life possible in our family. Thank you so much for allowing Sandor an opportunity to heal and continue making us so happy!
–Sandor’s Mom and brothers
