Save Cargo, the Tiny Dog with an Enlarged Heart!

First, meet Adam.

 

 

Adam is a doctoral student and all-around-incredible human who also happens to be blind, with some autoimmune-related mobility issues to boot. Sometimes his medical stuff can get him pretty down. (And no, you're not crazy; he is a very tall man, and that is a very small sofa.)

 

Now, meet Cargo.

 

 

Cargo was found wandering around the cargo bay at the San Juan airport by The Sato Project, an incredible rescue out of New York City that typically saves abandoned dogs from Dead Dog Beach in Puerto Rico. Poor emaciated Cargo was physically rehabilitated, then flown from PR to New York (watch his arrival party on The Dodo here). He was still a painfully shy and frightened little guy... until he met Adam.

 

 

 

 

Cargo immediately trusted Adam, and Adam found a remarkably intuitive and quirky companion. When Adam's in pain, Cargo will sit at his feet and stare at him, wagging his tail until Adam takes his medication. When Adam has nightmares, Cargo wakes him up. When Adam has a bout of sadness, Cargo immediately jumps on his lap and puts pressure on his chest.

 

 

We don't know how he knows to do these things, but Cargo performs these tasks without fail. And Cargo is now an outgoing, happy, well-adjusted little dude.

 

 

Eleven months ago, Cargo started coughing and was diagnosed with the canine-version of walking pneumonia. After running a few more tests, a cardiologist called Adam with some terrible news: Cargo had an enlarged heart and was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Disease, with an estimated 1-1.5 years of life expectancy unless we could get him into surgery to fix his leaky valve. The catch? Mitral Valve surgery only currently happens in two places: London and Japan.

 

Both had halted their programs for international pups at the time due to Covid, so Cargo was placed on both wait lists while we all held our breath. Very recently, Adam was contacted by the Royal Veterinary College in London and assigned a date for surgery! High five!

 

 

Now, Adam and Cargo are going on the adventure of a lifetime to save Cargo's life. The two will be flying from San Diego to Boston to meet up with a friend who has generously volunteered to be Adam and Cargo's travel companion and help with any sight- or mobility-related issues that Adam might encounter on his international journey. Once in London, the gang will need to hang out for about three weeks while Cargo goes through pre-op, surgery, and post-op recovery. Luckily, the surgery has a success rate of 92%, so Cargo's prognosis looks great!

 

 

The cost of this life-saving surgery for Adam's very special pup is £17,500, which is roughly $22,000 US. After flights, lodging, fees, licenses, vet visits and medications, the total cost will likely be well over $30,000. While Adam is more than willing to go into debt for his best friend, he doesn't make any money as a student, so we're not kidding when we say that each and every dollar given helps! Any donated funds over the cost of the above-mentioned fees will be split between The Sato Project and The Mighty Hearts Project, an organization that assists the owners of dogs with Mitral Valve Disease in navigating the logistical difficulties of getting surgery abroad.

 

Please consider giving a few dollars to preserve this once-in-a-lifetime friendship! We'll be updating this page with the details of Adam and Cargo's journey, Cargo's progress throughout surgery, plus some pictures and funny stories about this remarkable little pup.