Huckleberry is a 4-year-old Great Dane/Black Labrador mix in Fairfax, VA who needs $4,000 for a leg surgery, for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.

Huck was born in captivity and fostered for 12 weeks in a no-kill shelter. I had lost my beloved Golden (also a rescue) a few months before and thought I would just go and “look”.  The staff introduced me to a very bouncy, almost spastic, Great Dane/Lab named Ranger. He had been at the shelter for about five months “this time”. They told me he was unadoptable; that he had separation anxiety. They told me they would waive the adoption fees and give me a gigantic crate if I would take him. His first owner brought him back saying he chewed through too many things. After several more months in the shelter, he was adopted a second time. After being allowed to run off leash, Ranger was hit by a car. When he was released from the hospital, they too, brought him back. That’s when I walked in.

This very sweet boi was infected with a ton of parasites and was thin enough that his ribs were showing. He was so anxious, he would not allow anyone to pet him. He would grab onto clothes of anyone new he met and pull them around. He was fear aggressive with dogs and people. His very first night in his forever home, he simply stood on top of the bed and barked at me non-stop for 20 minutes. He was allergic to every food except a prescription diet. Yet, his floppy tongue and ears—and the way he followed me around— got to me. His eyes, so big and round, also said his heart was friendlier than his outer shell would have you believe. That’s when I re-named him Huckleberry.