“Tears of Gratitude” – Roxy’s Happy Tail

By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –

Dogs wear many figurative hats, and while they aren’t as silly as literal hats for dogs, they are what make our bonds so special. Roxy, a sweet eight-year-old pitbull, had been Emily’s protector, companion in grief, and a big sister to her child, two cats, and one younger dog. Nothing about the last eight years would have been the same without her.

Having endured so much together, Emily and Roxy’s bond had become unbreakable. Emily’s ex-husband had been abusive to her and Roxy, but together they survived. When the family lost their older dog to cancer, Roxy helped Emily keep going. And when Emily endured a high-risk pregnancy with complications that required further surgeries and medical treatment, Roxy made sure both Emily and their new addition to their family felt comforted and safe. She may have given birth to her first son, but Roxy was her first daughter.

Roxy has always suffered from allergies, so Emily didn’t think it was unusual when she noticed a slight irritation and redness in her paw. But within days, the paw had become incredibly swollen, and she lost a nail. It was a fast-growing infection that they tried to treat with antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory medication. If it didn’t heal soon, she might need to have the toe amputated. At her recheck appointment, the veterinarian determined the infection was spreading and she might need her entire leg amputated. Watching their girl suffer was devastating to the family.

Because Emily was out of work while she recovered from the complications of her pregnancy, they were still catching up on bills and other expenses when Roxy needed amputation surgery. For all the roles that Roxy had played in her life, Emily had to find a way to get Roxy the treatment she needed, but without making things harder on the whole family. As she discussed their options with the veterinarian, she learned about the RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program. Roxy would almost certainly need her entire leg amputated if they waited to save money for the surgery, but there was still a chance they could save the leg and amputate just the toe if they could make it happen soon enough. Emily submitted her application for an Urgent Care grant, hoping for the best possible outcome for her sweet Roxy.

When Emily’s application for Roxy was paired with a RedRover On-Call Angel, they wanted to help this family right away, so the application was approved quickly. With all the stress of recent months, from the high-risk pregnancy to the ensuing financial hardship, Emily was thankful for one less thing to worry about. That wasn’t the only good news, though; they had gotten the help they needed soon enough to save Roxy’s leg. Nothing would slow her down when her little brother was old enough to start playing together. She wore many hats, and “big sister” would be the best-fitting one yet.

“Roxy is doing well post-op! We got the chance to do a more expensive surgery that allowed her to keep her leg and only lose a toe, so her quality of life is even better than we thought it would be. She’s moving around and getting back to being her normal, sassy self! We so greatly appreciate the help you gave us and have cried tears of gratitude often in these past few weeks. Without RedRover, none of this would have been possible. Thank you so much!”

Like Emily said, without you, none of this would have been possible. On-Call Angels and all members of our compassionate community help pets and families when they need it most, so the bonds between them will always be protected. Thank you!