Zaiah ("Z")
After graduating from Texas State University in May 2016, I moved back to my hometown of Fort Worth. The day I moved back home is the same day I rescued the cutest cotton ball of a puppy. I named him Zaiah and from that day on, Zaiah became the most important thing in my life. As a fresh gradate with an unclear expectation of the future, I became very lonely. Zaiah brought a light and purpose to my life during that time, and I often thank him for even saving my life. As we grew up a little more together, moving from apartment to apartment, going to dog friendly spots downtown, traveling to and from all different cities, Zaiah was always the constant friend I needed. As life moves and changes, my 110-pound lap dog never left my side.
In the fall of 2021, I experienced the scariest thing to happen to me in my life thus far. Zaiah was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Within weeks of the diagnosis, Zaiah was rushed into emergency surgery which resulted in amputation of his left back leg. On November 10th, our lives were changed forever. We knew we had a battle to win and Zaiah was ready to fight. For Zaiah to see his 6th birthday, he needed six rounds of chemo treatments. We are currently at the halfway mark of chemo treatments, and he is doing fantastic as new tri-paw, still by my side.
As I sat in a small room with Zaiah, waiting to hear if his cancer spread or if we would be able to start the journey of saving his life with limb removal surgery, both Dr. Allstadt and Morgan were full of empathy for us. I did not know it on November 10th that these two women would be so important to my life as they are now. Dr. Allstadt explained the treatment process for Zaiah, and Morgan explained the expenses that would follow with that sort of treatment. I remember thinking that day, “Zaiah saved my life when I needed him the most, I will not let him down now. It is my turn to save his life”. I was honest with Dr. Allstadt and Morgan that money will be a stressor, but I will figure it out. That is when Dr. Allstadt told me about Dogslife and gave me hope that Zaiah would be a good candidate. I rushed home and filled out the application and as we all know now, Zaiah was picked!
This grant allows me to save my dog’s life! I did not want to fail him because of money. To think that I would let my best friend down because I couldn’t afford his treatments is heart wrenching. Now, I do not have to worry about that, and I get to focus on Zaiah and his recovery. Thank you so much for saving my dog’s life. I could not think of a better name for this organization, and I will forever be thankful.
- Briggette N. (December 2021)