LJ is a 15-year-old Pitbull Terrier in Carson City , NV, who needs $774 for Parathyroid Gland Removal.

LJ is an American Pit Bull terrier that we adopted from the Nevada Humane Society in 2018. When we adopted him, the shelter had him aged at about 9 years old, and he had been in the shelter for close to a year. When we went to the shelter, it wasn't with the intention of adopting an animal ourselves, but when he saw us walk through the door, he got so excited. He chose us and I couldn't say no.

LJ has to be sleeping in bed with you, under the covers. Mostly he is a couch potato, unless he sees another dog or human walking past the house. He tries to play fetch but because of his age, he gets tired quickly, and if another dog gets the ball before him, he is a very sore loser. He always barks and twitches in his sleep, guarding the house and family in his dreams.

Every morning when I leave for work, he does his best to convince me to stay home and go back to bed. When I come home, he barks and lets the whole house know how much he missed me. Sometimes he will run up to me with a big cheesy smile and jump up to greet me. He will carry his food bowl around the house and let you know he is hungry, even if he just got a big bowl rice, chicken and veggies.

One of his parathyroid glands stopped functioning, so the calcium levels were building up dangerously. The glands are found on either side of the jugular, making the procedure risky as it is, let alone on a senior dog. The elevated calcium levels were causing many concerning symptoms, including seizures. He also had a chronic toe infection that led to the amputation of his toe.

We are on a fixed income while raising a teenager, and 5 other rescues. Before us, LJ was misunderstood because of his breed. Over the last 5 years I've seen his confidence soar. He knows he's safe, loved, and spoiled. We honestly can't imagine our family without him.