Snow is a 6-year-old Chihuahua in Cranston, RI, who needs $1,700 for Grade 4 Oral Surgery for Extractions.

Snow’s story as our family pet does not have a happy beginning. At 3 years old, she was just one of several dogs living with a woman who was an admitted animal hoarder. Snow had to share her owner’s time and resources with various other dogs, cats and birds crammed into a small apartment. Because of this, she is a nervous and codependent dog even after several years living with us.

From the first day Snow was with us, she couldn’t seem to get enough hugs, pets and tummy rubs. Her favorite place in the world is curled up on someone’s lap or in one of our blankets. Good luck keeping her off the furniture; as soon as you sit down, she’ll be right there to join you, and at bed time, it’s anyone’s guess which of us she’ll decide to curl up with for the night.

Careful taking her in the car: doesn’t matter if we’re going to the vet or somewhere fun, she will whine and cry the whole ride! The only thing that ever seems to help is holding her and rubbing her back. Dinner time is always fun too; once we sit down, she’ll hop up on the chair behind one of us (usually my mom, for some reason) and nap until we’re done. Still haven’t been able to work that out.

Unfortunately, Snow came into our lives with advanced dental needs that steadily progressed under our noses. It got to a point where during one visit, the vet was able to pull out one of her teeth during a routine checkup. Her veterinarian has done their best giving Snow and our other dogs the best care possible, but her dental health has become a hurdle for us.

I was recently let go from my previous position, and since then have needed to collect unemployment and take on credit card debt to make ends meet. My temporary employment opportunities have not been enough to live on comfortable, much less finance surgery.