Leo
Pets have always been a part of our family when I was growing up and Leo was the first dog I got on my own about five years ago. I originally wanted a girl dog, but when he ran to me as I was looking at all the puppies, I knew he was the one! He is my baby and my best friend.
Between moving into my first apartment on my own, completing my master’s degree in counseling, relationships, break-ups, COVID, my hospitalization due to myocarditis, a car accident, my family moving away, and job changes- Leo has been the constant in my life. We have gone through so much together and I don’t think I could have gotten through it all without him. Due to these various hardships in my life, supporting myself financially has been a challenge and I often feel alone in that struggle. I thought about and wanted to get pet insurance for a few years now, but I couldn’t manage the monthly expense and thought we had more time due to Leo being so young.
When I found out about Leo’s cancer, I was completely devastated. That was one of the worst days of my life. I must have cried for days. I felt like my world was crashing down on me and felt helpless. I felt an immense amount of guilt towards Leo and was blaming myself. I allowed myself to feel helpless and defeated for a while, then I decided I would do whatever I could to help him. I was told he had about 1-2 months since he started getting sick before he would start declining if we didn’t seek treatment soon. I started a GoFundMe account and further increased my debt to start his initial treatments.
He still seemed so happy and healthy, so I knew I couldn’t give up on him like some people suggested. I am so grateful I didn’t. Seeing Leo return to his usual self after his first round of treatment was relieving. My friend recommended Dallas Pets Alive, who then recommended other programs to me. Throughout my extensive search is when I stumbled upon Dogslife. I wasn’t expecting to hear back from any of the programs I applied to for assistance, but I knew I had to try. I was in tears and feel so incredibly grateful to Dogslife for seeing Leo the way I see Leo. He is worth the effort, the expense, the time, and all the feelings that come along with a cancer diagnosis. You see him as the special boy that I see him as, and I will forever be thankful for that. Receiving this grant helped alleviate a large amount of the pressure and stress I feel to fund Leo’s treatment. I feel like he has a fighting chance now and that I can enjoy more of the time I have with him instead of worrying about how to continue his treatment. Thank you so much for supporting my baby!
-Erika Cole (May 2024)