Vinnie is a 3-year-old Doberman in Spicewood, TX, who needs $2,000 for emergency exploratory surgery with bowel resection.

Vinnie became our family member when he was just 9 weeks old. He was my “birthday present”. I immediately connected with his sweet soul. Vinnie is not the brightest bulb. But he is one of the most loving dogs I have ever known. He will seek and find any “booboo” on you, and lick it with the highest concern. He loves leaning in, and will melt when you rub his uncropped ears. He is pure love.

Vinnie shares our house with our 11 yr old feisty Jack Russell, who tells him off quite frequently. He will turn his head away when she is mad at him, and is submissive to her. He loves to park his rear end on your lap and watch television with us. He snuggles and leans in for attention. He is completely unaware of his size.

Our local vets have been overwhelmed with staff shortages. The only vet that could take Vinnie was Austin Vet Emergency Surgery. They admitted him and told me he has an obstruction of his small intestine.

Vinnie became distressed on Monday night. I thought he was just stressed from some of the construction we had done to repair damage from the ice storm. On Tuesday, he was still off. He would not eat and threw up any water her drank. By Tuesday evening, he stood in a corner of the room, with his back hunched in visible pain.

Vinnie is the life of the party. Every morning when I let him out of the crate, he does “donuts” all the way to the front door. When someone sings off key, he will join. His favorite thing to watch are animals on TV. When he is relaxed, he will lay on his back and sprawl out without any modesty. He loves staring at the fire in the fireplace, and can do so for hours.