Lady is a 10-year-old Shepard-Corgi mix in Springfield, IL, who needs $1,025 for major surgery.

Lady was adopted from a shelter in Arkansas in 2017. She's lived with my son (11) and myself since then and has undergone training to become an ESA dog through the VA. When she was first adopted, she struggled with being reactive when a broom or mop was picked up and used, which leads me to believe at some point she was abused.

Lady is an amazing companion. I have PTSD from an incident in the military and she wakes me during night terrors with her nose in my neck or will lay a paw on my arm/chest to wake me without startling me. Lady interacts well with my son and his friends, though she remains close to me when they're present. She's never played with toys, though we do play on the floor with paws/hands at times.

She helps me keep a schedule during the day, and is an amazing source of comfort when I'm feeling down/depressed. She loves to find socks and bring them to me, though at times finding a dirty sock under my pillow or on a pillow doesn't quite bring joy.

The hospital which diagnosed and temporarily treated Lady is Laketown, in Springfield. Her provider there is Aaron Felgenhauer.

Knowing she's an older dog, and my time with her is limited is hard, but the stress of spending reserve savings to get the diagnosis, while not being able to be supported through a credit agency or raising funds for the surgery, has taken a toll on my mental health greatly.