Stella is a 1-year-old English Springer Spaniel in Rockville, MD, who needs $2,000 for THR.

Our next door neighbor was fostering sweet Stella and her brother which afforded us a lot of time to get to know them both. To say we fell in love instantly would be an understatement. When we were given the opportunity to adopt her from the rescue organization we felt incredibly blessed. She joined our home and seemed to settle right in, cuddling and bonding with her new family.

Stella sleeps in our bedroom outside of her crate at night. When attending puppy class she was awarded the "advanced relaxer" title. We now know that this may have been in part due to the pain she was in but also know that she is a lover who will curl up anywhere if her people are around. Her vast number of sleeping positions and snoring have provided great entertainment for us.

We were told that THR surgery was the only option for her for both hips, plus additional expenses. To take this on feels overwhelming but we also know her fate is in our hands and didn't feel we had great options.

After purchasing pet insurance for her, within a very short period of time we noticed her struggling to stand and regularly whining and writhing in pain, and biting her legs to try to relieve the pain.  We immediately took her to the vet.  After x-rays we discovered that she had terrible hip dysplasia at the young age of 4 months (9 out of 10) . Bridger Vet Specialists, Dr. Jackson are treating

Despite all the pain she is in, Stella is still the sweetest puppy that has brought great comfort and joy to our family. Stella has an irrepressible happiness and an impish love of taking our things. Her resilience and ability to share so much love despite her discomfort is truly exceptional. To have her only one week and get the sad news was challenging but we knew we didn't have a choice.