My 2 year old, Chico, is a mixed breed of Pitbull and American Bulldog. Chico has a 9 year old Pitbull sister, Aspen, and 4 year old human brother, Payton. Payton and Chico are best friends! 

Chico came into our family as a surprise when we rescued him from a possible life of fighting. Our friend’s neighbor’s dog accidentally got pregnant and she put the puppies out for anyone to take.  We couldn’t keep them all but we chose Chico & found homes for his two brothers. I feel like we rescued those dogs.

He quickly adapted to our little family and even became protective of Payton like a big brother.  From day one he slept with my son and followed him around everywhere. Chico loves to “play trucks” with Payton, be his footstool when they’re watching TV, and even ride in Payton’s car seat (when Payton isn’t with us).  One of my favorite memories is the time we went for a walk and Chico hopped in Payton's power wheel truck and rode home next to Payton (there is a trunk but Chico wanted to be "upfront").

Then came the day I noticed Chico had stopped eating, but was drinking a full bowl of water at one time. I monitored him for a day or so to see if maybe he just ate some bad grass or something outside. Things continued to get worse when he began vomiting profusely. He would throw up all day and night, anything that went in via mouth. Any water he took in, came right back out and then some. Of course we went to the vet, and after several x-rays they believed he had digested a piece of mattress (It turned out there was not a thing in his stomach, but without surgery there was no way to know and thus design the appropriate treatment plan).

One of the hardest days of my son’s and my life was the day we had to talk about surgery. I am a single mother. I do the best I can but such unexpected expenses were a shock to say the least. I believe in being open with my son, so he went with me to the vet and we had made the decision to put Chico down (please don’t judge me, but no matter what I tried, I honestly could not afford the surgery).  The veterinarian had even said with my circumstances/the condition Chico was in (8lb weight loss in less than 2 weeks) she thought that might be best.

It was a true blessing when, as I sat on the floor in the Vet’s office holding Chico,  I got the news that Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund would pay the majority of Chico’s vet bills/prescriptions.   Now he could have the surgery that might save his life.

Payton and I to this day are so thankful to Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund and all those that donate. Chico is back to his normal self and playing again, along with eating/drinking normally. I will never forget (nor will Bigger Vet I think) the day Payton and I were at the vet crying our eyes out, loving on Chico and praying for a miracle.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to saving our family member’s life!