After two years of dreaming, a move to a new city,
and lots of praying, my 11 year old son and I were finally able to move from a small
condominium to a house with a yard so we could adopt a dog. Add another eight months of
saving for additional fencing, vet fees, and finally the day came when we were ready to
adopt the Labrador Retriever we had been dreaming of for so long.
Aslan is a happy and active 5 year old dog who loves to play Frisbee, go camping, chase birds, swim and most of all to love and to cuddle with his people. The dog had everything we were looking for and we were so happy to adopt him from a local rescue organization. However just a week later joy turned to alarm when the new vet announced that the lump on his shoulder (which I had been told was something normal for dogs) must be removed right away. Concern grew as the estimates for surgery came in between $600-$700. Add that to the money to catch up on vaccines, heartworm medication, flea and tick treatment, plus take care of the ear and skin conditions and this single parent family got a lot more than we bargained for. By this time we were too in love with this new member of our family to even consider giving him back.
Enter Labrador Life Line. With their help and the promise to fund half the surgery, on April 2nd, a 2-3 lb. tumor measuring more than 6" was removed from Aslan's shoulder. Thankfully this huge growth was only attached to a small amount of muscle and nerve, and the biopsy has already come back negative! With the 46 staples across his shaved chest and shoulder, two drains to relieve the fluid, and a bandage on his foot to keep him from scratching, he was quite a sight!
Well, almost two weeks later Aslan has continued with a
wonderful recovery. He is finally able to go on walks again, the swelling over his
shoulder is beginning to subside, and tomorrow he gets his staples removed. We are so
thankful to have such a wonderful and loving animal as part of our family. My 11 year old
son and Aslan are buddies who go everywhere together- this is such an important bond at
the difficult adolescent stage. We owe a debt of gratitude to Labrador Life Line. Without
their help I'm not sure how we would have been able to take care of Aslan, but with their
help. we have a happy healthy dog to love and love us for many years to come.
Thank you LLL for all that you do- it is a noble and worthy cause!!!!
Michelle Klinger
April, 2000