Nikala’s Story...

Hi, meet my dog Nikala. She is my life, my best friend.  I almost lost her on May 10th. She was hit by a car.  It was a total accident, she ran towards another dog across the street, her leash fell out of my hand and she ran into oncoming rush hour traffic.  My dog, has a typical Chihuahua personality…she thinks the world evolves around her and that everything and everyone, including cars will stop for her. 

She survived but she was screaming. I’ve never heard my dog scream the way she did and she would not stop. I was terrified and I didn’t know what to. A stranger who saw what happened told me to go to VEC. I called them on the way there and they were there waiting for my dog. Immediately they took her and started looking after her. I told them that I did not have a lot of money. Their response was, lets get her settled first, assess what wrong and we’ll work out the money part later.  It turned out that her tail was mangled with a open wound. I could see right through to the crushed broken bone in her tail.  As well, her pelvis was broken in three places.  It would cost approximately $5000 to help my dog and she needed emergency surgery. 

I was penniless.  I had been unemployed for an extended period (fall out from the recession) and had just recently gone back to work.  I was basically restarting, re-establishing my life and rebuilding myself financially.  I certainly was not prepared for such an emergency.  The emergency intake and overnight care wiped out what little savings I had managed to accumulate.  I was helpless. Not only that I felt like a failure and felt that I had made the worst decision ever. 

I had moved to Toronto two months ago to be closer to my new job. I was overwhelmed with guilt and could not help but tell myself that if I had not moved to Toronto my little Nikki would be okay.  I did not know where to turn. I tried to borrow from family, friends, but I very quickly learned that being unemployed for a longer than normal period, does not instil lending confidence in people, even if you share the same blood.  I had no more money and could not give my dog the care she needed. 

The doctor looking after my dog told me about the Companion Animal Wellness Foundation and encouraged me to apply.  A night had passed and time was working against my dog. I was just about to make the heart wrenching decision to put Nikki down.  I could not afford the care she needed and did not want her to continue suffering. Just as I was about to pick up the phone and make the call he called me and told me not to worry that everything was being taken care of and that my dog was being prepped for surgery.  The level of care that the CAWF funded was incredible.  My dog has first class treatment and was able to spend a full 5 days afterwards in the hospital recuperating. Thank God for the CAWF.  They helped me when I couldn’t help myself, they help helped my dog when not even I could help her.  They saved my dogs life.

 

-Jaculine