Help support Cedar get knee surgery

It is from a humble place that Kate and I (Gunnar) reach out to our community to help our sweet girl, Cedar, as she needs a 2nd knee surgery in the past 6 months. Asking for personal financial help is not something we are comfortable with but we have decided to lean into leaning on others right now.

We got Cedar 7 years ago as a rescue from Kentucky. She is the sweetest, most wonderful dog in the world. It took me 10 years to convince Kate that we should get a dog, and when we brought Cedar home, she immediately latched onto Kate as her human! She loves snuggling with Kate on the couch, our evening walks around the neighborhood, and even finds time to tolerate her kitty sister Nala. She loves belly rubs, treats, and walks of any sort. She is a nervous dog who hasn't gotten over whatever trauma happened in her first 2 years. Behind the scared bark and the Pitbull stature, she is a lover. We are so glad that we've been given the opportunity to provide her a loving, safe home!

Two years ago, she had an acute episode of pancreatitis, spending 3 days in the doggie hospital. She has fully recovered and is healthy and happy with a changed diet. That was the first time we had to drain our savings for her health.

This past summer, while going out in the backyard to the bathroom, she planted her foot at the bottom of the steps and tore the equivalent of her ACL in her left leg. The TPLO surgery to fix her knee was $4,500. After her recovery from the surgery, she pepped back up into the dog we knew before her injury.

Fast forward to Dec 15th, coming back in the house from outside, we heard the same sad "YELP" as she came up the steps not putting any weight on her right rear leg. A trip to the Animal Hospital confirmed that she has now torn the same ligament in her right rear leg and will need the same TPLO surgery. Without the surgery, she will not be able to heal correctly and will likely live with constant pain.

The prospect of an upcoming $4,000-$5,000 surgery for Cedar is compounded by the uncertainty of my upcoming job transition. After 24 years, I am moving on from my role as Executive Director of Youth Farm and am in the process of searching for my next great role. While this is an exciting change for me, the uncertainty of not having a job secured and knowing we will be on a single income come January makes paying for Cedar's surgery seem daunting and almost impossible.

Cedar is in otherwise good health and we hope she should live at least 5 more years. It is from this humble position that we reach out to our community of friends and family to help us pay for Cedar's TPLO surgery. We can't imagine our life without our sweet girl Cedar and would appreciate any financial support, large or small, in helping us make this TPLO surgery for Cedar a reality.