You all know Tam. Tam is one of the brilliant boss ladies behind Leaps and Bounds School For Hounds and you all will know of or have experienced her generosity, her guidance and her genuine passion to help each and every one of her clients. She is the voice on the other end of the phone, the face behind the emails and the lady with the patience of a saint, who goes out of her way to help you, your puppy and your families in any way that she can.

Right now Tam needs your help.

To kick off a new year, Tam had her heart set on bringing home a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel puppy, to train and work on gundog shoots and field trials. Her favourite past time outside of the dog school. In typical Tam fashion, she ended up taking home not one, but two cockers... crazy lady! However, you'll find the reason behind this quite harrowing, and perhaps very relatable.

On the 3rd February, a litter of Cocker Spaniel puppies were born and Tam fell in love with one little man in particular. Billy! Two weeks of regular visits, bonding and puppy snuggles left Tam and Billy with a beautifully developed relationship. But after those two weeks, it was discovered that Billy had developed Swimmers Puppy Syndrome. A rare medical condition which in Billy's case left him with an underdeveloped chest, vulnerable heart and is unable to physically stand up, but instead is forced to lie flat on said deformed chest with his hind legs extended behind him. The only movement he was capable of doing at this time was paddling with his limbs, hence the name Swimmers. He was just over two weeks old. This condition is so rare and undocumented that vets have very little knowledge about it and it has generally been considered to be untreatable. Puppies that present with these symptoms are often euthanised as very few people have the means of providing it with a good quality of life. Many sufferers do not live long, if they survive past the first few weeks at all. Due to the pressure and stress placed on Billy's heart as a result of Swimmers, he also developed a Grade 5 heart murmur shortly after his initial diagnosis. A Grade 6 heart murmur is the most severe kind, often fatal and no far cry from his current condition.

Now, if you know Tam, you know that there was absolutely no way that she would let little Billy be left to live uncomfortably and in pain until his heart could no longer beat. She would do the most to provide him with the best quality of life, for as long as she could and make sure that he was comfy, happy and not deprived of the socialisation that dogs thrive from. His medical conditions exist through absolutely no fault of his own, or that of the breeders who were instrumental in lessening his suffering and starting physiotherapy - a suggested prognosis - to help Billy regain some sort of mobility and take the strain off of his little heart. Tam and the breeders started a combination of hobbling (guided muscle therapy), physiotherapy and hydrotherapy with Billy to help ease his discomfort and rebuild strength into his muscles around his legs, hips and shoulders . Things were looking really positive for him, despite his condition and heart murmur. At this moment in time, Billy is a very happy, enthusiastic 12 weeks old pup with a cheeky sense of adventure and a love for all things ball and tunnel related! He is up and walking around thanks to the physio and loves a good ol' Zoomies round the house with his brother Benji (Tam's second puppy from the litter as Billy's heart cannot cope with the physical exertion of being outdoors working a shoot all day and she was still keen to pursue her passion for gundog work).

Unfortunately, as happy as he is, Billy struggles and lives with his medical conditions every day. Some days it is painfully noticeable. He gets exhausted very quickly, his breathing becomes rapid, he finds socialising with other dogs difficult in fear of being bowled over and is believed to live in a constant state of discomfort. But there is hope. As you can imagine this therapy was and continues to be very expensive. The vets have stated that Billy is now in need of cardiac surgery to fix a newly discovered hole in one of the valves leading to the heart. A cardiology scan is required to determine the size and exact location of this hole and will cost a minimum of £500. The operation itself is likely to cost between £5,000-£8,000 and none of it comes covered under any form of insurance policy due to his pre-existing Swimmers Puppy Syndrome.

This is why Tam needs your help.

Already, Billy has survived much longer than he was expected to and is a true fighter. He really is a little powerhouse and his kennel club name 'Brave Billy' was chosen to reflect this. But as much as his Usain Bolt impressions may fool you, he is not invincible, and his condition will further deteriorate if he does not have this operation soon. The cost is enormous, and that's without the continued medical treatment post-surgery. Every pet owner has experienced the horrible prospect of having to make a life altering decision (for better or worse) for their fur baby, and the financial aspect makes it even more unbearable.

Billy is already a much loved member of the Burrage household, and of the Leaps and Bounds School For Hounds family, and needs your help to give him the quality of life he deserves.

If Billy's story has touched your heart, or resonated with a part of you that cannot bear to see a bright little puppy suffer through a cruel medical condition, we would very much appreciate it if you could donate any amount of money towards his cause. He needs this operation, and we need him.

Thank you so very much!

Tam and the Leaps and Bounds Team x