Bring Joy Back to a Grieving Family

Please Help our Neighbors Family Heal After Tragic Loss of Both of Their Beloved Yorkie's, Pacino and DeNiro

Dear Friends and Community,

We are reaching out to you with heavy hearts because our cherished neighbors have recently experienced an unimaginable loss. Their family consisted of a loving father, mother, their 8-year-old son (an only child) and their two beloved Yorkies, Pacino and DeNiro.

Pacino, their 10-year-old Yorkie, had been a loyal companion to the family for years but was suffering from complications due to Cushing's Disease. However, detecting the disease early enough allowed them to proactively prepare themselves (especially the child) by bringing in DeNiro, a lively 1-year-old Yorkie. He became a member of the family on June 5, 2023 (a year ago to the day as I write this), to bring joy and energy to Pacino and ultimately help the family cope with Pacino’s eventual passing. Not only did they become best friends, it was almost like DeNiro was aware of Pacino's situation and why he was there. I say that because of how DeNiro looked out for Pacino and how DeNiro was also learning to take care of the family.

On May 23, 2024, the difficult decision was made to put Pacino down, leaving the family heartbroken. I'm so sorry to say that tragically, just 7 days after losing Pacino (may 30th 2024), a baseball thrown by our special needs son accidentally hit DeNiro, causing severe injuries. Despite all emergency efforts to save him, DeNiro passed away. The family was already devastated by the loss of Pacino and is now coping with the tragic loss of DeNiro in such a short span of time. The void left by both of their passing in a 7 day window is profound and extremely heartbreaking.

In addition, our special needs son doesn't know how to process these feelings of guilt so he is having a hard time as well. However, despite their pain, the family has shown remarkable strength and forgiveness to our family, assuring our son that the tragic accident was not his fault.

Yesterday, we prayed with the family, and they shared some hopeful news. It turns out DeNiro's parents have had a new litter with two males and one female. The family contacted the breeder and they have agreed to set aside one of the males (which the family has already named Pesci – get it?). This will obviously provide some solace to their grieving hearts.

We are setting up this GoFundMe to support the family with the unexpected emergency vet bills and to help cover the costs associated with bringing their new family member, Pesci, home (DeNiro's purebred brother). They are our neighbors and friends, always kind and welcoming, and they are always good to our son. It is our hope this gesture will get Pesci home where he is so desperately needed, and bring some love into their lives during this dark time.

Your support, no matter how small or large, will mean the world to them and will help turn this tragedy into something beautiful for their family. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

God Bless you and thank you for your support.