Today, I had to leave my best friend, my service dog, my emotional support animal, and my little cuddle baby Brunhilde at the vet.

She needs emergency surgery. Her uterus is severely infected and filled with pus. It could rupture at any moment.

Brunhilde came into my life on 5 May 2020 in the most unexpected way. I was driving from Augusta, Georgia, to Atlanta when I stopped at a highway restroom and saw a box moving. Inside was a tiny black bundle with the most beautiful brown eyes, one with a little blue spot.

I took her to a vet, and he told me I could either take her with me or she would likely be put down. So I said, "No. She is coming with me."

Since that day, she has never left my side.

She has made me laugh every single day, stolen my nerves more than once, protected me, comforted me, and stayed with me through fear, sadness, chaos, and heartbreak.

She helps me through the nights when the PTSD tries to pull me back into the darkness. Somehow, she always knows when I am struggling. She stays close, grounds me, comforts me, and reminds me why I am still here and why I have to keep going.

I cannot just let her go.

Not after she spent years saving me in ways words could never fully explain.

We recently flew from Orlando to England. At first, I thought her loss of appetite and extreme thirst were just stress or jet lag. But over the days, she stopped eating almost completely, drank constantly, could barely go to the toilet, and then today she started bleeding, vomiting blood, and shaking.

The vet told me that if I had waited any longer, she might not have survived.

Her emergency operation will cost over £3,500, and I do not have that money right now. But I told them to save her, because I will not abandon Brunhilde.

She has never abandoned me.

I am asking from the bottom of my heart for prayers, positive thoughts, and, if anyone is able, even a small donation to help cover Hildy’s surgery, medication, antibiotics, aftercare, and recovery.

Every prayer, every kind word, every bit of help means more than I can ever put into words.

She is not "just a dog." She is my best friend, my loyal protector, my baby, and one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I do not know what I would do without her.

Thank you to everyone who prays for my Hildy or helps me keep her in this world.

Vicky

(Surplus funds will be donated to Veterans with Dogs.)