Romeo is an 8-year-old Cockapoo in White Plains, MD, who needs $1,000 for amputation surgery.

Romeo's journey began with us finding a lost and hungry Pit Bull. We fed him and called animal control. They came and said he would be euthanized because of his breed unless we found someone in another county to adopt him. After spending those few hours with him and realizing what a good dog he was, the thought of him being killed was ridiculous. We began the frantic search and the people at Second Hope Rescue agreed to pick him up from the shelter. On the day he was supposed to leave I went to the shelter to say goodbye. The Pit Bull was already gone but a newly arrived ball of energy caught my eye. His coat was matted and he looked a mess but he was so happy. Within days, we adopted that dog and named him Romeo. If he had been a girl we would have named him Karma because getting him was Karma at her best! Romeo became part of our family right from the start. He has never given us any problems and is the best dog on the planet. He could be a service dog because everyone loves him and vice versus. He even captured the heart of my Mom who has dementia and has never owned a dog. He rotates who he sleeps with to give everyone their turn. But now his knee is being eaten away. Our vet didn't initially know why so he has been on pain medicine for a few months. Now we know that it is life-threatening, and we don't want to waste any more time getting that leg off. He is so happy, it is hard to believe that something is invading his body and trying to take him away. Romeo has brought us so much joy. I want to do everything I can to save his life.