Rocko is a 12-year-old Boxer mix in Surry, ME, who needs $2,000 for Surgical removal of soft tissue sarcoma.

We rescued Rocko from being euthanized with the help of a boxer rescue organization. A truck driver donated his own time to drive Rocko and other dogs up from North Carolina and he been a much-loved and important member of our family ever since. He lives with myself and my disabled adult son. We have no other animals.

Rocko enjoys all of the comforts that we do in our home. He has 3 comfy dog beds but also sleeps on our beds and, especially, the couch. He has a good-sized fenced in front yard and can often be seen trying to scare the squirrels and chipmunks (and birds) from the feeders. He takes protecting our home very seriously against all threats. With that said he's very sweet and friendly.

Rocko is quite a character and has no idea how spoiled he is (but in a good way). He thinks his job is to protect us (and the neighborhood) from any type of danger, no matter how small, and he takes his job very seriously. The UPS man is scared of him even though if he ever met Rocko he'd find out how friendly he really is.

We noticed a hard lump on Rocko's back a few weeks ago and since then it has gotten bigger. It is in the middle of his back beside his back bone. The vet has said it's a soft tissue sarcoma and recommends it be removed. The prognosis is good as long as they can get it all so removing it as soon as possible is really important.

I live with my mentally disabled adult son and have never remarried so am the sole breadwinner. The last two years have been overly challenging due to the pandemic and my savings is gone. I make just enough at this point to cover our monthly expenses.