Completing cancer treatment for my 3 year old dog

My name is Olivia and I’m fundraising to help finish chemotherapy for my dog Wally. We got Wally from the SPCA during the pandemic. I was struggling with my depression and found it difficult to get out of bed every morning. My husband and I had always talked about getting a dog, but it hadn't seemed like the right time. But as we were set to begin another COVID winter, I thought getting a dog might help force me to go for walks and be outside more. After contacting multiple rescues, we weren't having any luck because all of the rescues were cleared out. Finally, I found a few dogs I wanted to meet at the SPCA and we waited a week to be given an appointment to meet the dogs. By the time we'd arrived at the appointment, most of the dogs I'd been interested in had already been adopted. But that's when we were introduced to Wally, then named "Walnut."

Up front, she warned us that he had a lot of issues to overcome - he wasn't house-trained, was scared of entering any new space, and was generally very skittish. His ribs poked out of his sides and he had hair patches missing on his ears. But when she brought him into the fenced outdoor area, it was hard not to fall in love.

It felt like he chose me because as soon as he met me, he firmly planted his body against me.

I was incredibly nervous that we'd made a mistake when we arrived home and he promptly pooped on our floor, but my fear melted away as I soon discovered what a silly, sweet, goofy, and loving dog he is.

It's been amazing to watch him warm up and gain confidence since then. His health improved and we discovered he is very smart - learning tricks within an hour and very clearly communicating things he wanted. His joy and love are infectious and he has helped me through some of the darkest periods of my life.

We were looking forward to many years together. Unfortunately, two months ago, as I was finishing work, he began limping unexpectedly. Our vet was booked out and we were concerned enough that we took him to an emergency clinic. After examining him, they took us to the back room and told us that because his lymph nodes were incredibly swollen, it was likely that he had cancer. They called us a few days later to confirm it.

Since then we've been on a very difficult journey. Thankfully I have pet insurance, but we reached the cap that they'd pay quicker than we expected. Even paying what insurance didn't cover has been a strain. Now, I'm trying to figure out a way for Wally to be able to finish his first round of chemo. Wally has done so much for me and has been my constant, loyal companion - pulling me out of dark times and giving me purpose. Although cancer is incurable in dogs and this will only give him a bit more time, I want to give him as much time as possible. For a dog that suffered a lot before being rescued, I feel like he deserves so much more than this. Please help me give him a bit more time in this world.