“His Second Puppyhood” – Bandit’s Happy Tail
September 2nd, 2025
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
Annmarie was walking her 14-year-old dog, Bandit, in their neighborhood when a loose dog charged at them. Bandit bravely defended Annmarie by standing between her and the dog, but the loose dog latched onto Bandit’s rear leg and tore the skin apart. A neighbor who witnessed the conflict came out and scared the other dog off, giving Annmarie the chance to pick Bandit up and rush him to the emergency veterinarian.
They were able to stitch up his skin in surgery, but the veterinarian warned Annmarie that Bandit’s skin was likely to become necrotic. Sure enough, within six days, she needed to take him to see their regular veterinarian to debride the dead tissue with another surgery. A week later, they performed a third surgery to pull the healthy skin together and promote further healing. To fully close the wound, he would need one final surgery once more skin had grown in, followed by a hospital stay and wound therapy. All the while, Annmarie had never found the owners of the loose dog and was shouldering the cost of Bandit’s multiple surgeries entirely on her own.
“Bandit means everything to me. I rescued Bandit when I was in college. I wasn’t looking to get a dog, but something about his goofy grin drew me to him. When I was suffering from mental health issues, he was there for me to cry on and to lie with me when I didn’t think I could move. He changed my life and became my motivation for living.
“I do not make enough to cover the entire cost of his bills. I maxed out my CareCredit on the initial emergency visit, and they won’t raise my credit limit. I have started an online fundraiser, but haven’t had much luck with it. Any help I can get would be appreciated because my dog is my best friend. He has so much life left to live and deserves it. I’m living paycheck to paycheck and can hardly afford Bandit’s regular medications; he’s on special food for his kidneys and takes medicine for that and another for his liver. I also have him on supplements for his hips because he is an older dog. I love him with all my heart and want to give him the best life possible because that is what he has given to me.”
For families like Annmarie and Bandit, your support of RedRover is lifesaving. Annmarie applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant after looking for help online, and with an On-Call Angel ready to make Bandit’s last surgery possible, she didn’t have to wait long for the help she desperately needed. Bandit was still at the clinic recovering from his third surgery when Annmarie got the news, so with the grant, they had everything they needed to begin his last surgery as soon as he was ready. Despite his age and all he’d been through in the last few weeks, Bandit successfully recovered from his fourth and final surgery and was feeling healthy again.
“Bandit is doing wonderful! I’ve been joking that he’s having his second puppyhood. He is full of energy, desperately wants to play with his doggy friends, and has been a big loverboy with nonstop cuddling. We just had a recheck with the vet, and they like how his back leg looks. It’s healing much faster than they anticipated. I think it’s all the positive energy that everyone has sent our way. I tell him that there are people out there who are rooting for him and supporting him. He may not know what I am saying, but in a way, he knows. To the folks who donate to these grants, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This grant has helped me tremendously. It’s taken a weight off my shoulders so I can focus my energy on Bandit’s recovery. If Bandit could speak, he would say thank you, but for now, he says thank you with tail wags and a big ol’ smile!”
We’ll take those signs of joy any day! Thank you for everything you do to keep pets healthy and happy with the people who love them. Like the On-Call Angels, you are an essential part of our compassionate community.
