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Hey everyone!

I realize I haven't updated in a while, but Pogo has come first, and when she is content, I have been catching up on sleep! I am checking on her every hour at night, so that she doesn't try to lick at her bandages, and it makes me a little tired!

Pogo is doing great! She is only having to take pain medication at night, and after a few days she will be completely weaned off of them. She is going for two "rehab walks" each day, and is improving more and more as time goes on! She is putting weight on her leg, and walking on it as opposed to hopping around. She is doing fantastic, and i am so proud of her! I am so thankful for all the donations we have recieved, we are almost at our halfway point! I hope that in time we will have the entire surgery covered, but I am thrilled with all I have now! Thanks for all the blessings and love sent our way, and I will send more updates as I can!

Pogo update: Just picked her up from her overnight hospital stay. They said she did great, aside from having the typical pit bull puppy mentality of play, play , play! I am hoping for more donations, as it looks like I will have to purchase a ramp for the car, so she can get in and out without hurting herself. She is resting in her little "cave" (underneath my side table) right now, and hasn't even shown the slightest interest in her bandages, which means she doesn't have to constantly wear the "cone of shame" pictures to follow later when my girl is feeling a little better. Thanks to evryone for your donations, thoughts, and blessings and healing energy!

Hey all!

Here's a Pogo update. They finished surgery about an hour ago, it went as expected, no surprises, which is GREAT! She will be resting comfortably at the ortho surgeon's and physical therapists' house, and facebook. In other news...

We have hit the 44 percent mark as of half an hour ago! Slow and steady still gets us there, I am so thankful to ALL who have donated their time and money to get us this far! I decided to make a little wager, to up the ante, if you will. So here it is: If we can raise ALL 3,500 dollars by tomorrow at midnight, I will shave my head. No joke, just 1,960 dollars by midnight on 2/17/12 (well, technically 2/18/12) and I will emulate the naked mole rat. That's right, this just got real. So come on people, let's do this! tell your family, friends, coworkers, enemies, etc, just how CRAZY this chick is! and if anyone asks, YES there will be pictures! Let's see if ya'll are up to the challenge!

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I can't believe how far we have come with donations that are largely form people I don't know! I am so thankful, and so impressed! I am taking donations through March 15th, and hope to have reached our full goal by then. If we have come this far in just a couple weeks, I believe given a month we will make it clear and free. Thank you all so much for your help, prayers, and happy thoughts. Pogo actually goes in for her surgery tomorrow, but, like I said, I will be paying off the balance on the 16th of March, so keep those donations coming, and spread the word! Thanks to you all!

Mandi and Pogo.

Wagging Tails and Sloppy Kisses: Pogo's Story

As most of you have seen or heard via facebook and friends, my service dog, Pogo, is requiring surgery for a torn ACL. So many people have already donated without ever even meeting or  hearing about my little girl, so I thought I would share with you guys Pogo's story.Feel free to copy this link and share this with anyone and everyone. We have had a great response but still have a ways to go!

Before Pogo was even born, I was enlisted in the United States Navy. Things were okay, but a certain turn of events deemed me unable to continue active duty service. In fact, not only military service, but everyday tasks became immense hurdles that I was constantly tripping over. I was spending most of time dusting myself off as opposed to running the race of life. Things began to get harder and harder, and before I knew it even getting out of bed had become my personal Everest.

I was honorably discharged, with just enough time in service to be considered a veteran, and began the paperwork through the Department of Veteran's Affairs to see if I qualified for disability. I began this paperwork  in December of 2007, and did not recieve any disability pay until July of 2008. Luckliy I had family that allowed me to stay with them while I tried to thrive as an active member of my community. When I was finally set up with a primary doctor through the VA, they mentioned the possibility of me acquiring a service dog through an organization in California, but also informed me that there was quite a long waiting list. I was put on the list, and left to make my way through the world in any way I could. I would struggle with depression, panic, and anxiety, as well as insomnia. These burdens made it impossible to find and maintain employment, and due to the distressing symptoms I spent a fair amount of time holed up in my room.

In July of 2008, my disability was finally approved, and I recieved a moderate stipend monthly as a result of my unemployment. I was able to find an apartment with other females my age, hoping that I could force myself to at least be around others in hopes that my anxieties would lessen. Suffice it to say it didn't work. People thought I came off as rude or antisocial, and so i decided to look for a more appropriate housing situation. I ended up renting a room in a house with other individuals. Though we had shared living room and common areas, I chose the master bedroom, kept everything I needed in my own space, and proceeded to live like I always had, secluded and self sufficient. Things were lonely, but lonely was better than scared.

Time passed, and in late September of 2009, I had a conversation with my therapist, who suuggested fostering some kittens, to give myself a sense of accomplishment and purpose, and give me some company, too. I had volunteered in numerous animal shelters before, and quickly took to this idea.A couple of weeks later,  I began to peruse Craigslist and found a situation in which two bonded brother kittens needed to be rehomed, as they were found abandoned without a mother at around six weeks old. I saw this as a golden opportunity, and arranged for pick up the next day. My intent from the beginning was to get them healthy and safe, then proceed to rehome them myself in order to make room for more fosters.  

The next day I picked up the boys, soon after named Oliver and Rajah, and felt my morale lift. I felt needed, and was motivated to take care of myself so that I could care for the kittens.I also felt less alone, and decided I had made a good decision. I kept my eyes out on Craigslist for gently used cat supplies that people were getting rid of for free, hoping I could avoid most of the cost of supplies. A few days later, my diligence was rewarded; someone was giving away a cat carrier about 30 miles away from my house, at one of  the local military bases.  I called and confirmed availability, and was on my way.Little did I know that what I would be coming home with was a little bigger-and fuzzier, than a kennel.

When I arrived at the base housing, I knocked on the door and politely waited. I could hear a dog, yelping, barking, and howling, and I chuckled as I was reminded of a little coyote howling at the moon. The woman opened her front door which lead into a well decorated, open living room, with a dining nook off to the side. In the dining nook next to the table was a crate. It caught my attention, because I thought it was the one I was taking home. It was small enough to fit maybe three kittens inside, but it looked a little soiled. As I looked closer I noticed a path of dried urine encircling the crate, and upon taking a step towards it, the crate began to rock. There was a puppy in the crate,and, from the sounds of it, he really wanted out!

I had grown up with dogs, and am quite fond of them, and I proceeded to greet the little furball. What happened next made my heart shatter. The lady walked up to the crate, and kicked it. Not a slight nudge with your foot to move something, this kick sent the crate rocking back and forth.

"Sorry", she said, " she just won't shut up!"

As my stomach churned, a little girl came into the room and let the pup out of her crate. This poor puppy was so excited to see new faces, she would just run right up to you, but when I tried to pet her, she bolted. It was obvious after this happened a few times that she was starving for attention, but was terrified of people. Even as scared as she was, she was adorable. She had the lack of traction typical of young pups, and was slip sliding all over the place. The little girl kept yelling at her to come, and from that I gleaned the dog's name was Aurora.

"Your pup is adorable", I said.

" She's a pain in the ass," the woman replied. "all she wants to do is run and jump."

I stifled a chuckle, as this is common behavior for a pup. "How old?"

"Three months."

"well, that  explains the high energy", I said, though this was blatantly obvious to me. " have you thought of training classes or obedience school?"

"No, " she replied. "She pisses my husband off, and he kicks her, but it doesn't make a difference, she don't change".I look around, trying to hide my shock and suprise that someone could be this heartless to a puppy. I see the little girl, hitting the poor pup because she seemed to have broken an aribtrary rule, unsure of what because I was focusing most of my attention on not strangling this woman.

I tried once again to recommend some sort of positive reinforcement behavior modification."Maybe you could hire a private trainer to work with her."

As it turns out this little girl was part pit bull, and, a few weeks prior, the U.S. Marine Corps had put a ban on bully breeds living on base, due to an altercation involving the severe injury of a small child on a base back east. The woman informed me of this, then said, "we don't wanna deal with rehoming her, so we are just gonna put her down."

I tried to respond in what was supposed to be a casual tone, but my blood was boiling. I did the only thing I could think of to do."How about I take the dog, and you can keep the cat carrier?" I wagered.

"whatever, " was her only response. Before she could change her mind I scopped up the pup and took her to my car. no leash, no collar, and no clue what my housemates were going to say, all I knew was I had to get this little one far far away from this family. After coaxing her with the rest of a hamburger I had in the car, I finally had in her in the back seat, and began my drive home. No sooner was I on the freeway when I felt a nudge under my seat. Aurora had burrowed under my seat, hidden from the cruel world that she was anticipating.

I got home, and introduced her to my room, which, fortunately, had a sliding door leading to the patio. I didnt' think she was house trained, so I let her explore while I ran to pick up some essentials: Collar, leash, food, bowls, and PLENTY of stain and odor remover. I came back to find her under the bed, where she camped out for the rest of the night.I filled her bowls with food and fresh water, and when I woke up they were empty, but she remained under the bed.I knew she was gonna take a while to get comfortable, so I didn't take it too personally. I did, however, call a dog trainer at the local pet store, to ask how I could help Aurora transition. I told her the little bit that I knew about her past owners, and the trainer suggested that I give her a new name, one that she didn't associate with getting abused. She also said if I just put treats out in the room, the puppy would learn that being out from under the bed was a good thing, and that eventually I could put treats around me, then in my hand, to get her to let me pet her. I boiled some chicken and laid it out around the room, and just sat on my bed, contemplating her new name. She came out after a while, and I didn't move a muscle. She wandered outside, still in my line of sight ,and explored a bit. Then, she sat at the base of the six foot fence, and hopped right over like it was nothing!It was at that moment that the world met Pogostick, Pogo for short. She spent the rest of the day slowly warming up to me, and I felt confident that we were gonna be okay.

The next day, Pogo seemed a little tired, which is to be expected from a puppy, but she didn't have any interest in her food or treats. I thought maybe she was just full, but kept an eye on her anyway. By the afternoon, she had had diarrhea a couple times, and was sneezing and seemed to have a runny nose. I took her to the vet, and they guessed that she had a small cold, and was just having an upset stomach due to stress, and I shouldn't worry. They suggested a bland diet of chicken and rice, and to follow up in a few days.

The next day, I woke up to numerous accidents on the floor. I couldn't tell if she had diarrhea or had thrown up, but something wasn't right. I called and made another appointment at the vet, and began cleaning up the messes. Pogo just hid under the bed. I took her back to the vet, and she had spiked a fever. They gave me antibiotics for her GI upset, and said to watch her closely.

Over about a week, she seemed to get better, until we were playing one night and something went wrong. Pogo was playing with a toy, but then started to run around in circles, then she dropped and all of her limbs started, just, flailing. I was terrified. I rushed her into the vet emergency center, where they deduced that she had distemper, due to not being vaccinated like the previous owners said she was. They gave her some medicine to sedate her and control the seizures, and told me to keep her comfortable. They expressed their sympathy,but told me to be realistic; most puppies do not survive the illness. They asked if i wanted to continue to treat her, or just let her go. I prayed and prayed, and something inside me just knew this puppy was meant to be in my life, so we fought. We fought through seizures, terrible pain,muscle spasms and contractions, vomitting, diarrhea,  crying and tears( her tears and mine), for almost 12 weeks. It was exhausting for me, for Pogo, and for my bank account. But I was convinced she had a purpose to fulfill, and every time we faced adversity in the form of no funds, a new symptoms, etc, I told myself there were great things destined for this little girl.

We were given a clean bill of health around february, and shortly after I was able to  move into my own apartment, thanks to an increase from the VA.   I began training with Pogo, hoping she would learn some manners and maybe even some fun tricks. Her trainer welcomed us to our first class, and mentioned to the class that if we were interested, we could put our dog through at least 6 months of training, and they could be eligible to take an exam to become a service dog. I knew that was what Pogo was called to do!I had already fallen in love with her, and even my housemates said they noticed a special bond, a closeness, between her and I. We were met with a lot of skepticism from people, namely because Pogo is a bully mix. Many frowned on her being part Pit Bull, and some even told me not to waste my time on a dog that was born to hurt people and animals. I took this as a challenge, and Pogo and I worked as hard as we could to earn the title of therapy dog.

Pogo finished training in December of 2010, and was declared a Canine Good Citzen and official therapy dog on February 22, 2011. She has been tailored to respond to my needs, and is VERY good at what she does. She accompanies me nearly everywhere, including Disneyland, and has learned to protect and lead me away or distract me when she senses a panic attack is looming. If I am upset, or scared, she is there to comfort me. I don't even have to ask, she just knows.She has helped me take care of foster kittens with her gentle spirit,  Pogo being a giant-but gentle-soul for one of my kitten rescues.and sometimes she even thinks she herself is part feline. Anything cats can do, Pogo can do better!

When Pogo was spayed, i decided to get her DNA tested, so I could see what kind of puppy I was dealing with. It turned out Pogo is a mix of Pit Bull, Black Labrador, and Border Collie. People often giggle when I tell them her mix, and say they can see each breed in her personality. These breeds are all very high energy, however, and so we do a LOT of playing, running, walking, jumping, wrestling, etc. It seems like she never gets tired, and because she is so smart, sometimes she gets into her fair share of mischief.

Sometimes we play with things we shouldn't, but that's the fun part!

Pogo and I are inseperable. Where she is, I am , and vice versa. I recently left her to vacation for a week, and couldn't go three days without skyping with my girl.

This is Pogo's bed. I sleep on it ocassionally as well :-)She is my world, and I can't even remember how I lived without her. She is such a lover, and though a little timid at first due to abuse issues, she warms up and once you have her trust you cannot lose it. She will guard and protect you, and I have even had people tell me that even when I nap, she stands guard to make sure I'm safe.

Pogo and her grampa are inseperable, especially when she's getting her belly rubbed.She loves to be pet, is very treat motivated, and will give anything for a good belly  rub.

As it turns out, Pit Bulls are physically built with a very straight and rigid leg stance. We have since learned that this

stance takes weight off of Pogo's muscles in her legs, and instead places undue stress on her ligaments, the main ligament in her knee, or ACL, in particular. Simply as a result of playing and getting that puppy energy out, her ACL became frayed, and eventually, tore. As a result of this, she can't walk without pain, and isn't allowed to play or jump or even walk unless being guided out to use the restroom. This has proven very difficult, both for her and for me. I can't take her with me places because she can't walk, and as a result I don't go very many places because I don't have my safety net. We want to get her ACL repaired ASAP, but that involves raising over 3,000 dollars fo rthe surgery and rehab. There's no way around doing the surgery, but the longer we wait the more consequences we are running into. When she is in pain, she doesn't eat, and if she doesn't eat, she can't take her pain medications, which puts her in pain, so she doesn't eat, etc. It's a terrible vicious cycle and it breaks my heart to see her in pain. After three consectutive days at the vet, we are just ready to be done. I hate seeing her in pain, this picture just breaks my heart. she just isn't herself, and I feel terrible that I can't fix anything right away. The past few days we have been doing pain injections, but they are expensive, and only treating the symptoms. That's where we need your help. Anything you can donate, even a dollar, would be an immense contribution. And knowing firsthand how hard times can be financially, if all you can do is spread the word about paws4pogo, that would be a huge help, informing others of our cause is half the battle. Pogo is everything to me, we tackle this world as a team, and I appreciate all of your help, thoughts, and prayers. This little girl is gonna warm the hearts of many more, this is just a little speed bump on our journey we are walking together. Thank you all for any support you can provide, and please don't hesitate to share Pogo's story anywhere and everywhere. Thanks again,

Mandi and

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry it's been so long since an update; Pogo is fine, but I seemed to have had a bout of the black plague, or at least that's what it felt like! Pogo is doing okay today, as far as I know. She is still with my dad and sister so I can get over this bug. I need to feel 100 percent so I can take care of her! Thank you ALL for your help, donations, and spreading the word. It means so much to me and Pogo to have such an amazing amount of support from people we haven't even met before! I really appreciate it, and will keep posting updates as I can. Thanks again!

I just posted a bio about Pogo and her journey these first two and a half years of life. Feel free to go to my facebook page and check it out!

I am AMAZED!

So many of you are following Pogo's story and donating, and you've never even gotten the chance to look into Pogo's chocolate brown eyes and let her  steal a little piece of your heart! You are all doing this because you care, and that means so much! I can't thank each of you enough. I can't believe we are already past the ten percent mark!!!

Pogo is having a sleepover with her grampa and auntie Jamie, because I am still fighting this nasty flu bug and can't give her the love and special attention she needs right now to stay on track (constant efforts to get food in her belly, pain management, loves and cuddles, etc). I know she is in good hands, but I miss her already, it hasn't even been an hour! Thanks to all for following, more updates to follow!

"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made." -Roger Caras

I am typing this as I work, putting more money into Paws4Pogo, so even though you can't see it online yet, I am doing all I can to raise money myself! We recieved our first online donation today, I can't stress how thankful I am!!! Pogo is sitting comfy cozy with her grammie and Auntie Jamie while I work, has eaten food today but isn't drinking. I can't wait to go pick her up and love on her, but I know she is in good hands. I am trying to see if I can "borrow" a tax ID from a non profit organization to do some fundraisers at local businesses, restaurants, etc. I will keep posting as I know more. Feel free to read our updates and share them with your friends. It would be encouraging to me just to know I'm not the only one reading this :-)

"whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies."-Gene Hill

Hooray for small miracles!

Pogo ate a cup of rice and some chicken baby food for dinner, and kept it down. That also meant we could have some pain meds! Surgery is set for next Thursday, so we just have to hold out til then. I have spent so much money to treat her symptoms, but just watching her sleep peacefully as I type this is worth every penny, and then some. Guess I should head off to bed too. Thanks for reading!

"there is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."-anonymous

Just a quick post before I head off to sleep. Pogo is sleeping for now, though she is letting out the ocassional whimper still. She is just wiped out, poor thing! Between the pain, lack of appetite, and now a stomach bug, my little girl is just tuckered out. Hopefully the pain injection lasts through the rest of the night and into the morning, and I'm hoping the bug passes so we can get back on our pain pills and be a little more comfortable. Thanks for reading and supporting us on this bumpy journey!

"dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole"-anonymous

Hey all!

I have started this campaign to help cover the cost of ACL or cruciate ligament surgery for Miss Pogo! Anything helps, and ALL donations go to funding her surgery and post operative rehabilitation. If anyone has questions feel free to ask, and I will post on our page here as often as I can. Thank you all for supporting Pogo's well being, and please tell your friends about our page!