About the Campaign
Big Boy, Bad Knee.
Joey is a 7-year-old male dog who weighs nearly 120 pounds and has a torn CCL that needs TPLO surgery to stabilize his knee. Because of Joey’s size, this injury is especially hard to manage without surgery, and living on an unstable knee can lead to worsening pain and irreversible damage over time.
Joey’s injury happened when a friend of the family visited after being away for months. Joey got excited, stood up on the arm of the couch, then jumped down and slipped hard on the hardwood floor. X-rays confirmed the tear back in September, and Joey has been dealing with this painful, limiting injury ever since.
Joey has been part of Vicky’s family for seven years. Vicky’s youngest son, Michael, saw a Craigslist post about puppies being sent to a shelter if no one took them. Michael was 12 at the time and begged the family to go get Joey so he wouldn’t “get killed at the shelter.” When they arrived in Wasco, California, there were three puppies left—tan, white, and Joey, the black puppy. Michael initially went toward the tan and white pups, but Joey walked straight to him. In that moment, it felt like Joey chose them.
Life hasn’t been easy for this family, and Joey has been right there through it. Vicky shared that they’ve experienced periods of homelessness over the last seven years, and at one point they had to place Joey with a dog caretaker temporarily just to keep him safe. Through all the instability, Joey has remained their family dog—loved, protected, and treated like one of their own.
Right now, finances are the barrier. Vicky says there are no savings, and living and working in Los Angeles has made everything tight. She is a tarot card reader, her husband works alongside her in the business, and even though work is currently doing better, they’ve still had to rely on help from their children just to cover rent. They tried starting a GoFundMe, but without a big social circle it didn’t gain traction, and they eventually canceled it.
Donations will help cover Joey’s TPLO surgery and the veterinary care needed to get him stable and comfortable again. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian. Estimate is below, click to enlarge:
