Baxter’s Happy Tail
February 6th, 2023
By Savannah Verdon, Development and Engagement Coordinator
For Elizabeth’s six children, the family dogs, Baxter and Stella, were simply two more siblings to play with and love for life. Baxter was just a little puppy when he became a part of the family and had grown into a sweet, handsome boy in the four years since. His big, chocolate brown eyes and expressive eyebrows were especially soothing when Elizabeth lost her father late in 2021. At a time when she needed to grieve her loss, she instead found herself personally responsible for the cost of the funeral, a financial blow made even worse when she lost her job a few months later.
Several years before, when Baxter was young, Elizabeth noticed a mass on his behind. By the time he had become Elizabeth’s faithful companion through mourning, the mass had tripled in size. They asked multiple veterinarians for a quote to remove the mass, but the cost was overwhelming. Five months had passed since Elizabeth lost her job and she hadn’t been working since, while her partner had taken a new job that paid significantly less. The family’s finances were already stretched thin when, to everyone’s shock, the tumor burst and began bleeding profusely. Their car needed a new transmission and they were already a month behind in rent, but saving Baxter was their number one priority.
Elizabeth tried everything she could to raise money for his surgery. She was thrilled to find a veterinarian who quoted much less and accepted payment plans, but the full cost of the surgery was still beyond her reach. Heartbroken after failing to raise the full amount necessary, Elizabeth was willing to find another home for her sweet boy if it meant he would get the care that he needed. Still, there was one more thing she could try: She applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant.
“I have done the online fundraising. I have asked family and friends. I have applied to credit cards, CareCredit, Scratchpay, personal loans. I have tried to sell my personal belongings. I have reached out to the rescue I got him from. I have even resorted to surrendering my dog just so he won’t die waiting for this surgery and the shelters won’t take him. I have literally tried everything. I do not like to ask for help. However, it now seems I have few other options and the idea of my children losing their beloved dog, the idea of us losing a family member, is far more upsetting than humbling myself to ask for help from kind and loving people. So, here I am, praying, asking, and hoping.”
After being burdened with the mass for three years, Baxter received the surgery he needed and was now living comfortably – free to find a snuggly spot on the couch and roughhouse with his siblings again. In just one month, Baxter was fully recovered and the mass was gone. On the eve of his final visit to the veterinarian to have his stitches removed, Elizabeth reached back out to RedRover to express the family’s gratitude:
“He feels like a whole new man! He is running around again and playing and has found a new burst of puppy energy now that he is lighter and free of the ‘extra baggage.’ We can’t thank you enough for your assistance. We would not have been able to save him without it.”
Because of kind and loving people like you, Baxter, Stella, and their six best friends will continue to play and grow together – and Elizabeth, after such a difficult time, can breathe a sigh of relief. Thank you for making Happy Tails like these possible! ♥️
