Butter is a 4 year old Labrador Retriever in Rocky Point, NC, who needs $5,000 for CCL Repair, Reattach Tendon.

Its hard to know where to start, so I guess I will start at the beginning. One cold day in Nov when my daughter was around 3 or 4 years old we decided to go to the park. This park was a special one, the play equipment is surrounded by trees. I was pushing my daughter on the swings when this small black ball came out of the woods whimpering at us. We knew right away she was coming home with us. This poor puppy was so small and sick, throwing up everything, we did not think she would live. Our vet said she was around 4 or 5 weeks old and was lucky to have found us. My daughter named her Butter, which is a running joke because butter is the one thing my daughter has never liked or wanted to eat. Butter is an amazing dog. Once she was old enough my daughter and I would take her to training classes together, we learned how to teach a dog, we learned how to work together with a dog. Butter slowly became the center of our family and my daughter's life. Butter sleeps with my daughter every night, a loyal friend that has helped her through nightmares, being afraid of the dark and sad tears on the occasion. Butter goes to the beach with us, walks trails with us and is always at the door to welcome us home. The Monday before Christmas this year while racing my daughter to bed Butter fell on our wood floors. We did not know how serious it was until the Wednesday after when she spent the whole day at the emergency vet. Turns out Butter's fall caused damage, something called a CCL injury. According to the emergency vet, the only fix, is surgery. Since the accident Butter has been forced to sleep downstairs and my daughter has cried her eyes out every night wanting her friend, who sits at the base of the steps whimpering in turn.
We went to the Eastern Carolina Veterinary medical center who has been treating her with pain meds and said surgery is our only option. We have called around a few other places, they do not offer the surgery and have no non-surgical options for us. I don't know how to tell my daughter that we do not have the funds to fix her best friend.
On paper my husband and I should be able to afford this surgery, and if it came at a different time we would have. I used to work ems and due to that job I injured by back. I have had two back surgeries and a hernia surgery which ate away our savings. My husband has to have surgery on both of his feet this year. I recently changed jobs where I am a mental health therapist, I work everyday helping others and provide a reduced price for those in need, my husband is a butcher at a grocery store. We both work hard, we do everything we can to take care of our family which includes Butter. I feel a large amount of guilt in being unable to help Butter because of my and my husband's medical needs. She is family, she is so special to my daughter and myself. Please help us help her.