Walter Tipton is a one-year-old Irish Wolfhound in Leicester, NC, who needs $1,700 for emergency and ongoing care.

Jennie R. tells Waggle the moment she saw her dog, Walter Tipton, walk inside the house with both his front legs bleeding and covered in lacerations, her heart shattered. "There were areas with exposed bone, tendon, joints," she says. "When we arrived at the ER, he got on the stretcher to go inside for treatment and laid his head on my shoulder. Despite the pain, shock, and fear he was feeling, he was telling me we were going to be OK."

Now Jennie is struggling to pay for the urgent and ongoing medical care Walter requires. "I can't imagine life without Walter. The counter-surfing, food stealing, shoe-eating, mischievous turkey he is keeps our little family together. I am a single mom to a 14-year-old, and sometimes, Walter is the glue that holds us together. His bills average $500 a week."

And Walter is not only the glue that holds Jennie's family together. He also helped Jennie change how she looked at the world and brought her so much happiness. "Walter came into my life at a time when I needed a reason to keep going. I was working 90+ hours a week as an infection preventionist and felt nothing but fear and dread. Walter changed all of that. He taught my son and me that there was still laughter. There was still love, and it brought us back together as a family. He taught us how to love life again," Jennie says.

Jennie adds his antics also keeps them laughing. "He is nothing beyond extraordinary. Don't get me wrong; he is far from perfect. He ate my mattress while I was in the shower and ate countless pairs of shoes (to the point that you are getting ready for work and realize you don't have shoes to wear to work). He literally spreads joy everywhere he goes."

And they can't imagine life without him. That's why they hope you'll give to help him get the care he needs at Asheville Veterinary Associates West.

"The bond Walter and I share is unexplainable," Jennie says. "I love him for his naughty, mischievous behavior, even when I am barefoot with towels stuffed in the mattress. He essentially has a fan club. Going around in our small community with Walter is like hanging out with Norm from Cheers. In a time with so much misery, he brings smiles and laughter to everyone he meets. He is absolutely one of a kind."