Help a Sweet Dog, Get Sweet Gifts

Gorgeous animal photos and portraits, organic vegan cookies and gourmet bonbons, Web design and hosting at a steal, books of both the used and new (and personalized with a note from the author) variety, yummy dog treats, and more — and a chance to help a sweet, sweet dog? It’s a win-win. Read on.

Five and a half years ago, I took a day off work to travel an hour to meet a 7 1/2-year-old dog named Chance. The shelter was highlighting her online as the featured dog in an effort to find her a home — another home, to be exact; she’d had three already, and people kept giving her up. When I went to visit, several weeks had passed since she’d first been given that high-profile spot on the Web site, and still, no one had come to get her. But when she waddled into the visiting room that afternoon and licked my hand and offered me her belly and dragged me outside to chase squirrels, I knew I would be coming back for her, undiagnosed allergies, goopy infected ears, chewed-up paws, stinky body, and all. There was such affection and energy and happiness and trust in this dog, despite the pains and betrayals her body and one human after another kept inflicting on her. And I was angry — angry that people kept giving up on her. She was coming home with me.

It took her weeks to trust that I wasn’t going to disappear like everyone else had. She is a ravenous eater — she devours and desperately seeks out food in ways that made her first vet think she must have gone without at some point; oh, the stories I could tell you about her food exploits! – but for the first couple weeks, if I stepped even six feet away after setting down her food, she would run after me in panic. I had to sit on the floor with her, inches away and in sight, until she was finished eating. And for years after I was able to set her food down and walk away, she still went barreling through the house at top speed to find me immediately after finishing: devour, locate Stephanie, sigh relief, go back to lick bowl and drink water. Similarly, for the first couple months, this dog who would later value her independent space had zero interest in her dog bed; she slept not only with me but practically on top of me — she had to have physical contact; she had to know that I was there, that she would feel it if I tried to leave.

Much has happened and changed in these last 5 1/2 years, for Chance and for me. Various humans and dogs have entered and departed our lives. Homes have been made and left behind. Metaphorical hearts and physical body parts have broken and scarred, sometimes haunting us with aches. But we’ve gone through it all together. She has been my constant, and I hers. She is joy and laughter and love. And determination and independence and pensiveness. I have learned from her and loved her and at times, yes, needed her. Mabel certainly has too. And now is one of those times when she really, truly needs me — and others.

As many may know by now from other online spaces, Chance went through an exhausting (and expensive) battery of tests last week at the teaching hospital in Columbia, MO, after her usual veterinarian here in St. Louis determined that some problems she’d been having with her hind legs were actually neurological. We now know that a disc has ruptured into her spinal canal, and the compression of the nerve roots is severe; without surgery, she will lose the ability to use her hind legs and control her bladder and bowel. She needs this surgery, which is now scheduled for this next Thursday, March 11, with several days post-op hospitalization expected.

But though love flows through this house in abundance, money unfortunately does not right now. I won’t say more than that here, but know that if I weren’t in trouble myself and had any way to cover Chance’s bills, I wouldn’t be fundraising, least of all publicly; going this route was difficult for me. [Edit: I can't find a completely suitable place to put this, so I'll just put it here: I failed to note an important piece of information when I first penned this post. I'll write more on this later, when I thank everyone who so deserves to be thanked, but I at least want to briefly acknowledge that our fundraising goal at GiveForward is significantly lower than it would have been (than the total expected costs, that is) because of an anonymous donor who made a remarkable donation directly to Chance's account at the veterinary hospital last week. My gratitude to that mysterious generous person is deep.] But I keep reminding myself that this is really about her, not about me; it is about an individual animal who needs help, an animal who just happens to live with me. And were this Marji’s Mina, Deb’s Tempest, Mary’s Violet, or Kelly’s Ralphie or any other animal in need, I wouldn’t hesitate to publish posts and spread the word and fundraise. So this dog with whom I’ve shared years and laughter and tears and what sometimes seems like lifetimes deserves the same, right?

So here we are. At GiveForward.org, you’ll find the Surgery Fund for Chance. Though right now, donors at the $25+ levels can receive some truly awesome thank-you gifts in return at the various levels of donation (courtesy of some amazing friends and donors), any contribution you’re able to make is appreciated and will get you at least a creative electronic thank you. I know well that times are hard for a lot of people, so if you can help with a donation, you have my thanks in advance, but good vibes and positive thoughts earn you my gratitude too. You can also follow along with Chance’s surgery and progress next week on Twitter, via an account I recently created for that purpose. (I’ll likely continue some of my Chance-tweeting from my usual account as well, but more updates will probably come through ChanceTheDog96, especially during surgery/hospitalization.) 

In case you don’t want to read/scroll through all of the Surgery Fund‘s description of Chance and what’s happening but want a quicker look at the gift and donation details before making a decision about donating there (and so that I can give link love to the wonderful gift-donors here as well), following is a copy of what appears at the bottom of the donation page’s description:

Notes: (1) If what we raise ends up exceeding the final costs of her hospital bill and related rehab needs, the remaining money will be donated to an animal-helping fund yet to be determined. (2) Donors who are not comfortable donating via credit card through this page and who would rather donate by PayPal or check may contact the fundraisers through the site to arrange this; see the contact box at the bottom of this fundraising page.

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**Gifts for the First 30 Donors at $25+**

Below is an in-progress outline of thank-you gifts at various donation levels. If you wish to receive your gift for being one of the first 30 donors to contribute $25 or more, or if you wish to receive your electronic thank-you for any donation made at any time, please be sure to mark the box, at the time of checkout, sharing your e-mail address with us, so that we can communicate with you about getting you your gift. (Or if you don’t wish to receive a physical thank-you gift, please note that on checkout.) Also please understand that quantities are limited, and if you are in the first 30, but items in your level are gone by the time you donate, we’ll try to substitute with something equivalent, but guarantees are difficult to make. Donors outside the United States, please see the end of the list for your options. 

For U.S. Residents in the First 30 Donors

$25-49: Choice of (gently used, great condition) book on animals or animal rights from 70+ available titles at start of fundraiser (with thanks to book donors Mary Martin, Kelly Garbato, and Deb Durant).

$50-74: Choice of (a) box of organic, vegan Max & Ruffy’s dog treats (or certificate for box; starting quantity: 14) or (b) $15 gift certificate to Bluestocking Bonbons (starting quantity: 3). [Edit: NakedJen, lovely friend to dogs and all animals (of the nonhuman and human variety), is also offering at least a dozen of her much-loved vegan, organic Clyde's Cookies for donations $50 and up.]

$75-99: Choice of (a) beautiful, custom vector portrait by Jennie Ruff, using donor’s photo submission (see this link or the last image under this fundraising page’s photos tab for sample; donor’s choice of size; starting quantity: 5); (b) print of one of Deb Durant‘s gorgeous animal photos from Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary; donors can choose from a gallery of available photos (unframed, sizes ranging from 4×6 to 8×10, starting quantity: 10); or (c) 1 AR/animal book plus $20 gift certificate to Vegan Essentials (certificate quantity: 1).

$100-249: Brand new copy of your choice of 1 book by best-selling author Jeff Masson (When Elephants Weep, Dogs Never Lie About Love, The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, The 9 Emotional Lives of Cats, Altruistic Armadillos, The Face on Your Plate), with a personalized note from the author included inside (book not signed directly; note will be inserted into the book; 3 of 4 remaining). Plus Max & Ruffy’s treats/gift certificate (subject to availability).

$250+: Web site design + domain name and hosting for one year (starting quantity: 1, maybe 2), courtesy freelance Web designer Jennie Ruff. Includes up to 10 static pages or a full WordPress theme.

Or some combination of lower-level gifts.

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For Non-U.S. Donors in the First 30 (we regret that shipping costs prevent us from sending physical gifts to donors outside the United States, but we can still offer these gifts to international donors, subject to availability at the time of donation):

$50+: electronic delivery of digital vector image or sanctuary print that can be printed by donor (if quantity still available; see above for descriptions).

$75+ and in Europe only: vector image or sanctuary print, with the option of having the image printed on photo paper and mailed to you.