Willie's Reconstruction Surgery Fund

On September 16th, 2022, Jonathan and Courtney adopted 2.5 month old chocolate lab, Willie Nelson. Willie was born on June 29th, 2022, alongside 9 other littermates, from his mother, June.

June and Willie's stories both came from pretty humble beginnings.

After losing their 15 year old chocolate lab, Holly, Courtney's parents, Jeff and Lorie, drove 6 hours round trip to adopt June from the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan.

The Humane Society told them the story of June's surrender, explaining that her previous owners had dropped her off, saying they "didn't care what they did with her". After taking her in with the hopes of finding her forever home, it quickly became apparent that she had been used by a backyard breeder, with her teeth worn down from being continually bred and kept caged most of her life.

The Humane Society explained that they could not perform a spay before adoption due to June's elevated weight. At June's adoption, the agency encouraged Jeff and Lorie to begin a regimented diet and exercise plan before scheduling her spay.

After 2 weeks of this plan, they realized the diet and exercise wouldn't help at all... June was actively going into labor to birth 10 beautiful puppies. Willie being one of them.

After nearly 2.5 months of being raised by Jeff, Lorie, and June, Courtney and Jonathan jumped head first into adopting Willie, knowing that they'd welcome an outgoing, stick-carrying, hyper young puppy that would forever be a part of their family.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that as he progressed through his early growth and development, a congenital defect would begin to impact his ability to play and to walk.

Around 4 months of age, Jonathan and Courtney began noticing a change in Willie's front right foot that concerned them, as it became increasingly apparent that it turned outward away from his body. At this time, they consulted his primary veterinarian, recommending that they monitor his gait and functioning for any concerns.

Around 5 months of age, the couple began taking him to a local doggie daycare, who also shared their concern about his growing feet. Only when Jonathan and Courtney began noticing a worsening of Willie's right foot, the daycare shared that after play, Willie had become lame. At this stage, Willie's foot sat nearly 180 degrees to the right.

It was then that the couple made an appointment with BluePearl of Southfield, Michigan, to consult with an orthopedic veterinary surgeon.

At this consult, the attending resident and surgeon performed x-rays showing the congenital defect in both front legs, which has impacted the healthy development of his elbow joints and ulnae.

While the surgeon found that the left leg had grown abnormally, the right was developing in such a way that over time would lead to an inability for Willie to ever walk on this leg again.

Due to the nature of the defect, along with the stage in Willie's development, the surgeon recommended two separate surgical procedures in order to change the outcome for Willie's leg.

The first would be to remove a section of his right ulna to allow for improved development of his elbow joint. This procedure would need to be completed by January 1st, 2023, or they would miss the developmental window. They were given a written estimate for this procedure to cost $3,353.19

The second would be to break and reconstruct the 'wrist' of the joint, to install metal hardware that would grant him effective and pain-free use of the leg. This can not be completed until Willie is between 10-12 months of age (April-June '23). They were told that this procedure is estimated to cost $4,000.

Between both surgical procedures, as well as the $600 consult with x-rays, Jonathan and Courtney are attempting to fund $8,000 of their own money to be able to afford to save Willie's leg.

When they look at their available moneys, $8,000 is just not readily available to them as they continue to pay off debt, bills, and monthly expenses.

But when they look at Willie, the 5.5 month old puppy he is, who stole their heart the day he was born, they can't fathom watching his leg deteriorate as the rest of his body and spirit want to run, swim, hike and play.

Jonathan and Courtney want to share Willie's story to those who may not already know of him, hoping that his journey may impact you in the way it has impacted them. They ask that if you wish, or are able to support this fund for his reconstructive surgeries, to know that no amount of love, or donation, is too small.