Yuri is a 2-year-old Border Collie mix in Milwaukee, WI, who needs $2,000 for patella luxation surgery.

I fostered for a dog rescue called Sandi Paws Rescue. I generally never brought puppies home to foster but I saw Yuri and chose him. I picked him up in January 2017 from intake. I just knew that he was mine. He was the only one out of his liter that hadn’t been adopted that day and he was the one with the most unique markings. So in my mind I just knew it was fate. It took 3 days and a lot of tears to convince my parents to let me adopt. Yuri and I had an instant bond. He was a 12 weeks old puppy and stayed in bed with me through the night. He followed me everywhere and was so cuddly. When Yuri turned 10 months old, we moved out of my parents house (and Wisconsin) to Kansas City. It was scary for us both. We only had each other and so we went on endless adventures. I learned all the coolest spots of that city and I had my best friend to enjoy it with. Yuri and I had play dates with friends, hiking, swimming, camping, dog club events, and so many other fun things. In November 2018 we moved back to Wisconsin but stayed in a big city (Milwaukee). We kept each other company through another move where we had no close friends. If I can help fix Yuri’s legs then I plan to travel to the east coast beaches and the mountains in Colorado with him. He deserves the world and I intend to give it to him. Yuri has saved me from some people emotionally dark places and I owe him everything.