Twinkie is a 12-year-old chihuahua/toy fox terrier mix in Missoula, MT, who needs $600 for jaw surgery.

Twinkie came into my life as a tiny squealing puppy when my mom's dog had babies. I didn't pick Twinkie, she chose me. I remember one time she fell down the stairs she cried and cried no matter who held her then I came down stairs and picked her up and she stopped crying. I knew then she was my dog, my little puppy.

It's just me in my household and I just love my Twinkie. She gives me lots of tail wags and kisses. She has a frenemy in the cat. It's a love/hate relationship....mainly the cat loves her but Twinkie doesn't love the cat. Poor Twink isn't the same since she broke her jaw. Now she sleeps a lot, still gives me kisses and hardly eats anything.

Twinkie has attitude to spare. She will hear something outside and start growling as she runs not realizing she is only a 5 pound dog. She loves going for walks and enjoys snoozing. She sticks to my side like a bigger dog would. She just loves going out and having her say to the world and that makes me smile every time.

Twinkie's jaw is broken. I'm looking to raise funds to pay for the $1000 quoted surgery at Alpine Veterinarian. They want to remove one tooth and put the jaw back together and reinforce it so it doesn't break again. I don't want my baby to be suffering and right now she is suffering. She can hardly eat anything. I have to hand feed her bites of soft food in order for her to be able to.

My financial situation is very tight right now since I'm on disability and I'm unable to provide the full amount of the vet bill up front. My finances are strained further by the fact that I owe back rent to my landlords.