Was she on a leash?

Hi this is the puppy owner Kaitlin. Yes she was on a short leash, I'm glad my fiance didn't get hit also! People on our corner are crazy (Bellevue and Denny)

err Bellevue and Harrison

this is really nice of the slog to put up. I will definitely be helping- get well soon Olivia!

I heard a quote recently, in regards to all the bike deaths, that the Seattle area leads the country in hit and runs. People are so passive aggressive that the response to assault with a vehicle is to escape and hide.

I hope your dog gets better.

war on dogs?

Thank you so much for the donations everyone, I can't stop crying and my heart is permanently warmed.

@3, I live a mere block from you and I feel like I almost get killed on Bellevue once a day! You can't see for shit beyond the parked cars, and the lack of traffic circles make it a thoroughfare for speedy drivers. I don't know how often I'm shaking my fist like my mom, shouting "this is a neighborhood!"

Anyway, take care, and I hope Olivia gets well soon!

Good luck to you, your fiance, and Olivia! Hope you all feel better soon and she makes a good speedy recovery :)

You know, I'm sorry about your dog, and it's lucky that the owner Eric wasn't hit. And fleeing the scene is crap. But... spending $5000 on a puppy? I appreciate that the puppy is cute, and I'm sure she's fun to have. I know people often say, "Oh, my pet is like a child to me...", but I don't know anyone with REAL kids who would say that.

I know it seems callous and heartless, but I can't see spending that kind of money ON A DOG. It's your money, you can spend it however you want. You would sacrifice that money for an animal knowing there are hungry families within 5 blocks of you? Hey, I wouldn't give a thin dime to your paypal. You chose to spend the $$ on a dog... guess the wedding will have to wait. Oh, the added stress! Boo hoo... live with your choice.

i''ve met olivia and she is the sweetest, cutest doggie you'd ever want to meet. one donation, coming right up!

Squirrel!

@9 wow. what a dick. no one's asking you to spend the money. you could, however, keep your mouth shut.

That really is an awfully cute puppy butt.

@9:Hey Ballard Dude how come you’re spending your money and time on the internet knowing there are hungry families within 5 blocks of you? Shouldn’t you be pontificating to them about how they should live with their choices? Oh, and do you have cable? If so, in light of those 5 hungry families, why?

@9 I've always wondered what the point was of leaving comments just absolutely shitting all over someone else for no good reason.

So...care to clue me in?

(As an aside, I used to wonder why people would spend so much money on a sick or injured pet, until I got one myself. As with so many things in life, it can be difficult to empathize with something foreign to you. That does not, however, mean that you have to be an asshole about it.)

@9

From the sound of it, chief, you're the one having a tough time coming to terms with their choice, not them. If you don't give a fuck, then prove it by walking away and actually not giving a fuck instead of gettin' mad.

I'm going to try to not be as big of a dick as #9, but it does behoove pet owners who are really attached to their pets to invest in pet insurance. I pay $12/month to insure my cat. It won't pay out unless she gets really sick or hurt really badly, but it still gives me some peace of mind.

@9: Ballard dude you are such an hypocrite. I am sure I can find zillion things you do which counteracts your comment here. First of all don't you go to a doctor and wouldn't you spend thousands of dollars on medical bills, if not for yourself won't you spend everything you have in case your children are hit by a car? Well, why don't you just let them suffer and donate the money to charity? This puppy is a child to them and how can you even try to compare the value of two lives, two species? Is it because dogs are not as intelligent as humans that they should let to suffer? At least humans have the potential to help themselves while a dog is dependent on you like a child. You think you are being humanistic by making that comment but it is completely opposite. Stupid man.

@9: Why don't YOU get hit by a truck and have people argue against treating your worthless condescending ass.

I hope Olivia's owners are able to get enough donations and some left over to make their wedding day extra special.

@19 it's a very good point and we are definitely enrolling after this whole ordeal. I appreciate the tip though..

@9: Ballard dude you are such an hypocrite. I am sure I can find zillion things you do which counteracts your opinions here. First of all don't you go to a doctor and wouldn't you spend thousands of dollars on medical bills, if not for yourself won't you spend everything you have in case your children are hit by a car? Well, why don't you just let them suffer and donate money to charity? This puppy is a child to them and how can you even try to compare the value of two lives, two species? Is it because dogs are not as intelligent as humans that they should let to suffer? At least humans have the potential to help themselves while a dog is dependent on you like a child. You think you are being humanistic by making that comment but it is completely opposite. There are billions of other things that humans that they shouldnt do and you pick this won't do revolt like an asshole. Nice job man. Go protest war or tax cuts. Not this one

@9 has some sand crammed way up in his vagina. I guess that'd make me bitchy too.

I live on the corner of Bellevue and Harrison and people tear around those corners so fast. I hate crossing around the area with my dog. I hope all works out for Olivia, and I'm donating what I can!

xo.

@11, fuck you.

@25- what did #11 ever do to you?

$20 on the way. Not much, but I hope it helps a wee bit.

Seeing as how you just got your ass handed to you, @9, you might wanna get a 5-gallon bucket to carry it around in.

~$2.60 at Home Depot (NEW lower price!). You'll have change from your fiver you could do something nice with.

ah!!! INTERNET FIGHTING!

Seriously Ballard Dude, I've seen you post on other threads and you seem to be a good dad and a decent guy, but this…..! What’s gotten into you? People love their pets like family, I’m sorry but they do, and will go the extra yard for them. For example, my Dad and his dog are both on the same cancer medication. That my folks are in a position to afford to pay for both is a blessing, and if they had had to choose not to treat Duffy, it would have broken my father’s heart. Stop being such a stinker.

Hugs to Olivia! She looks like quite the cuddler.

And thus "ballard dude," a usually thoughtful slogger, joins the ranks of Seattleblues, KittenKoder, and the unregistered racist troll as one of the big slog shits.

At least until he comes clean.

Edit: should read "usually a" not "a usually."

Kaitlin, how much has been donated for the darling pup?

It's lovely to know people can come through in tough times, especially strangers. I hope she gets better and I'll try to donate what I can, being unemployed doesn't allow for much cash!

Oh so sorry!! I know it doesn't help you right now, but Eric, you should get pet insurance asap! Pet's Best is the one I've chosen after days of research but you can check out petinsurancereview.com and so should all pet lovin' SLOG readers! It's saved me thousands of dollars. I sure hope Ms. Olivia gets well soon and good luck with your wedding

Oh so sorry!! I know it doesn't help you right now, but Eric, you should get pet insurance asap! Pet's Best is the one I've chosen after days of research but you can check out petinsurancereview.com and so should all pet lovin' SLOG readers! It's saved me thousands of dollars. I sure hope Ms. Olivia gets well soon and good luck with your wedding

sorry didn't mean to post the same thing twice

Second on Pet's Best. It's more expensive ($30/mo for my kitty...) but the coverage is much better and they pay 80% of your vet bill, after deductible up to $10,000 per incident and $100,000 for the life of your pet! Some less expensive policies pay a fixed amount for various injuries/illnesses, which is usually way less than what you actually spend. Do your homework before signing up!

Whoo! So maybe I came on a bit... off. If the story was,"My fella was walking the dog with my daughter when she was hit by a driver who didn't stop, we don't have insurance..." I would be first in line to donate $$ for the child. I'm paying child support+rent while on unemployment... because my kids depend on me. You sacrifice for kids. So it's possible that I'm a wee bit sensitive about money!

My family has had a succession of dogs over the past 30 years. I had a dog that had cancer. She could have undergone treatment. Goldie would never have been the same. I don't think it's fair to an animal to prolong their suffering. 10 years later I still miss that dog. I know that here in Seattle people DO equate animals with humans. And if the couple wants to invest in their dog, well, ok. Chemo for cats. Ok. Hip replacements for 12yo dogs. Ok. I hear people making those choices all the time. It sucks, but the poor dog could have been put down.

I shouldn't have been so judgmental... but I just can't see spending so much for an animal.

Was the dog wearing a helmet?

So far we have raised $715 which is so amazing, all the support is so touching. I won't respond to hateful comments of course- we just so much appreciate the nice ones, it always amazes me how compassionate Seattle can be. We are leaving for the hospital up in Shoreline once my fiance gets home in a few minutes and will spend as long as they will let us there, and will update our blog after wards. Thank you so much again everyone. We will definately be paying it forward after this is all done in any way we can

@ballarddude I will say though that Olivia is only four years old and is otherwise a healthy dog. When we rescued her she immediately clung to us and is always at our sides, she knows she was rescued from an abusive situation and shows us love every day. She is like our child, and she's not some old dog that we should just put down..

@38 sounds like you should start living with your own choices and not take it out on other people who are being compassionate

Wow, way to just on ballard dude for having a different opinion than the dog-happy masses. A lot of people would choose to let their injured pet go rather than pay that much, especially in this economy. That doesn't make people with different priorities bad people. I hope the dog gets all better.

@39 : WIN OF THE DAY

I have a child as well as pets--and I just shelled out about 2k for dog surgery (veterinary pet insurance
Paid out for and additional1500), so having kids didn't change anything!

UPDATE: for anyone who is interested we updated pictures and how she's doing..
http://oliviathefrenchie.blogspot.com/

Hello,
This is Eric, Kaitlin's fiance and Olivia's dad, posting from her account. I just wanted to say thank you for all the overwhelming support from not just our local community but also from across the country. I hate to sound like a sap but it really touches my heart over everyone's sincere comments and heartfelt shared stories of their own.
I'd also like to extend a personal thank you to Megan Seiling and the staff of the slog for posting about this today.
Thank you,
Eric

@26, come to a few slog happys and see how he is around young women, and you'd say fuck you, too.

@9: Stay classy, Ballard.

@9 and @38 You're type of utilitarianism towards animals makes me sick. Unless you believe in some delusional deity that has granted the human species a higher value than other species, there is no valid reason to donate to hungry families over helping an animal. Yah, it is JUST a dog. But you, are JUST a human. Evolution never gave us a gold star of superiority, only our ego does. That being said, donating to hungry people is a good thing. Donating to a dog is a good thing. Arguing over who's good act is better is just about the stupidest argument I have ever heard...and if you didn't read between the lines, fuck you.

Also, I hope our donation helps!

<3

Here's an idea: cancel your wedding registry at Pottery Barn or Tiffany and ask your wedding guests to donate money to your dog. Also, OMG! The horror that your wedding might be postponed must be completely overwhelming. I can't even dream up how awful it would be to love someone so much and NOT BE ABLE TO GET MARRIED. Like, wow. Holy shit that must be tough.

@9 My thought was "$5000 on a wedding?" Looks like Municipal Court of Seattle can get it done for you for $80 if you go Monday through Thursday. ($225 on Friday. What's up with that?). Then a few bucks for homemade announcements and you are done! Married and duty to animal fulfilled.

http://www.seattle.gov/courts/judmag/mar…

met that tiny thing last week. donating as soon as the tipsy goes away. animals rule. hang in there guys!

It is worth thinking about what makes this French Bulldog - who will quite probably spend the rest of her life being treated for expensive health problems unrelated to having been hit by a truck - worth so much more than all the healthy, friendly animals who are killed in shelters every day because there's not space for them or money to feed them.

Also, pet owners - I know you love your pets but you are not her mom and dad. That is definitely not the way she feels about you, and it is counterproductive for you to behave that way towards her. Also, you will probably reconsider the "she's like our child" when and if you have a real one.

That said, I hope she gets better.

Maybe BallardDude expressed himself--maybe not poorly, but a little abrasively. But I'm kind of with him. Five grand is a lot of money. I don't know what my line would be for one of my cats, but it's well short of five grand. And how long will little Oliver be in pain?

Please don't compare real human children to animals. I don't even have kids, and that comparison is asinine.

so many negative nancys in this group! my goodness. get better soon, olivia!

To those of you who do not understand spending that kind of money on a dog, have you ever been the person who, after a terrifying and traumatic incident, is making the decision whether the otherwise healthy young pet who you love and who lives in your house and who is completely dependent on you for her life, for her food and water and trips outside and fun, should live or die based entirely, and I do mean ENTIRELY, on whether or not you will spend the money to keep her alive? (And I am not talking about a 10 or 12 year old dog who has had a good life and is suffering from an age related medical condition.) If you had ever been the one to make that incredibly fucking impossible decision you might be talking like less of an asshole and judging someone else for their choice. If you have been in that horrible position, and you made the choice to euthanize the pet rather than treat them, I am so very sorry you had to, and you are made of sterner stuff than I.

Don't contribute if you don't want to. I for one did, and I really hope she gets better. Good luck, Olivia!

It's easy to criticize the decision to spend that kind of money on an animal until it happens to you and your beloved pet. Especially in the case of a rescue animal...they have already gone through enough trauma in their life, and if a single surgery will ensure a long life and you have the resources (or others choose to help you), that's great.

Animals are not children though and I understand that the comparison might offend some people. Those people should keep their opinions to themselves and understand that we all have different priorities.

I thought about this more all morning and felt the need to come back and comment again.

I'm actually pretty disappointed in the Stranger for lending their readership to *this particular* needy dog instead of many others. Many vet clinics and hospitals have a fund for patients in need of procedures the owners can't afford; almost universally, in order to get those funds an owner has to meet two criteria. Those two criteria are an owner with demonstrated financial need, and a patient who has a really, really good prognosis following treatment.

In this case, the prognosis for Olivia is not good, although it's not that bad. A recent review of hit-by-car traumas in dogs (presenting to a teaching hospital with excellent emergency & critical care, and limited to dogs whose owners accepted every treatment recommended) found that about 15% of those dogs died or were euthanized. The likelihood of the animal dying was directly proportional to both the severity of injury and (as an indirect marker of this) the cost of treatment.
I don't know anything about Olivia's case other than that she got hit by a car, but if she were in my practice I doubt she would be a candidate for financial assistance. It is almost certainly not true that this is a case of "a simple surgery" - simple surgeries don't cost $5000, even in Seattle.

The other point is that unless I'm misreading, these owners could and did afford the treatment. They had the money, and have already put down a deposit and intend to pay the rest at discharge. Which makes the donations people make *actually* donations for the couple's expensive wedding. Which is fine - but it really should be stated as, "We're spending all our money on our critically-injured dog, please contribute so that we can have a giant party next spring."

In my opinion, pet owners should consider at the time they get a pet how much money they are willing to spend on the pet, and they should be ready to do so. I see too many people in financial distress because in an emotional moment, they have a hard time deciding whether they can afford to treat. It sucks, no doubt about it, that sometimes you can't afford to pay a vet to save your animal, but consider it this way: fifty years ago, none of it would have been available at all. Now pet owners are offered basically an infinity of ways to spend money on their pets' health, and have a really hard time accepting that it's okay to say no. You're not a bad person if you don't *have* $5000 for emergency care of a dog, or even if you do have $5000 but need to save it for something else.

Which brings me to a penultimate thought: many people just don't have the option of paying for treatments like this. Possibly this is an injustice, and it's something that I think about a lot. There is a little bit of research out there about this - notably a little paper in the BMJ called "Xenotransmission of the socioeconomic gradient in health?" - raising important questions about how the pets of poor people, just like the poor people themselves, could be more likely to be in poorer health than those of the rich. But if you find that you have an extra $20 to spend on the health of other people's dogs, I'm seriously baffled by choosing to spend it on THIS dog. Not that I wish her ill - but there are dogs euthanized in every town, every day, for diseases that could be prevented or treated really cheaply if only their owners could afford to spend that money on their dogs instead of on their bills.

And my last statement, in regards to calling your pets your kids - it's not that I'm offended, it's just counterproductive. People cause major behavior problems in their dogs by interacting with them inappropriately; one example among many of fundamentally inappropriate relationships between pet and owner is the one where the owner feels like the pet is his child. The more someone anthropomorphizes a pet, the less able they are to understand and address the real reasons behind undesirable behaviors. I wouldn't care about this at all if I didn't have to see so many pets abandoned, surrendered to shelters, and/or euthanized because of behavior problems caused by their owners.

Seriously. You people are donating money so these kids can have their wedding. You aren't donating to save a cute little dog.

@63 Olivia's surgery is $4,000 for a spiral fracture up her back leg, you may call her hospital up in Shoreline to verify this. The other $1,500 is what we're being charged for two over night stays at the Emergency vet on Stoneway and all of her medicine and x-rays and care from them. All of the money we're raising goes to her vet bills, that we'll have to pay off for the next year. If we get it paid off sooner than later than we can start saving for our VERY modest small capitol hill wedding in April that costs less than $5,000- it will not be lavish at all, rather than putting all of our extra dollars that we make at retail to the vet bills. We are so appreciative of the support from our community, as we would do the same for another local dog in need.

@64 stop hating on @39 having such a clear win.

@63, we have planned this wedding for a year and a half saving what little we could that has already been exhausted on poor Olivia. We don't make a lot of money but we're so lucky to have each other and such an amazing dog. I'm not asking you to help and I also don't have any negative feelings toward you, I should have explained the rest earlier- and if you still don't agree you're aloud to have your own opinion

Poor muffin. It is hard to have to make these decisions for your pets. We don't have any real way of knowing what the animal's choice would be, but I'd be willing to bet that a lot of them would want to live, despite pain, assuming they were capable of really understanding the choice-- would you? It is a huge responsibility to have to make this choice for another creature; ideally, it would not be made cavalierly. The added consideration of finances can make the choice even more heart-wrenching. I've spent a few thousand dollars on one of my cats (not all at once, but for the same problem that is chronic) because I just cannot see not helping him if the problem is treatable. He is worth it to me and I take my responsibility to take care of him seriously. I'd also like to point out that euthanasia is not necessarily cheap. I paid well over $1,000 for a vet to tell me my cat was in renal failure, not treatable and euthanized.

Lastly, if you want to donate to defray veterinary costs for homeless pets, here's where you donate to Seattle Animal Shelter's Help the Animals Fund. They do really great work. http://www.seattle.gov/animalshelter/don…

Also, if you don't agree with this couple's choices, feel free not to donate. I don't understand shitting all over them when they're down. So judgmental. Good luck, Kaitlin, Eric and Olivia.

This comment thread would really be interesting if it was a pitbull puppy!

@63: That was a very thoughtful and informative comment. Perhaps you could consult with Olivia's vet as to her actual diagnosis. As to the issue of the wedding, I don't think there was any obfuscation. I quote from the Megan’s post:

"Wouldn't it be awesome if Olivia's lovely puppy parents could give Olivia all the medical care she needs without having to add the extra stress of a wedding postponement to make it happen?"

People can read, and having done so, have chosen to contribute or not.

As to how much or how little the couple has budgeted for their wedding, we don’t actually know. All we do know is that the vet bill will likely be 5 grand. Not that the wedding was projected to cost 5 grand.

For all we know they are so frugal and virtuous that they cancelled their cable and have been living on Rammen so that they might afford to tie the knot free of sanctimonious judgment from those of us on the internet.

@63 You expressed (far better than what I in my 'hypocritical' way) was thinking. I have taken a lot of heat for suggesting that spending $5000 on a dog and then seeking financial support because you can't afford a spring wedding is crazy! I know, i'm an evil a-hole for saying what I said. I had to make a similar decision with my OWN rescue dog... and I just couldn't justify it. As Thisbe said, it wasn't financially feasible for me and my family... nor did I think it would be fair to the dog. Goldie was the first dog that was 'mine' as an adult. She was there when my babies first came home. She licked their faces; she was part of my family. It wasn't an easy decision.

Sincerely, I wish no ill will to the owners or their dog.

Well there you go! While I was composing my my finely crafted post, kaitlin seems to have addressed all the concerns raised here. So hows about those of us who want to help them do so, and those of us with sand where sand ought not to be, find something else to be uset about.
Bicycles perhaps?

@68... thanks for the link. My dog came from there...

Oh I really hope I didn't come off as hating on the dog owners - any negative feelings I have about this are mostly directed at Megan Seling and the Stranger, just because I feel like it's a weirdly inappropriate use of a newspaper's blog. I find myself wondering, why THIS dog and not all the other dogs?

Kaitlin I totally hope your dog gets better. I'm glad to hear she didn't collapse her lungs, burst her spleen, etc - here's hoping she doesn't develop any complications, and heals up great. And I hope you have a lovely wedding. I don't think it's any of my business how much you choose to pay for your wedding OR your dog - it's YOUR discretionary income. If I don't contribute, it's because my pet welfare time and energy goes to pet owners who, I will say again, literally have to choose between paying for an exam and flea and parasite preventives and vaccines for their dog and paying the heating bill so the children don't freeze. There are a LOT of pets in that situation and I see it as a far better return (in animal welfare) on investment.
Other people might choose differently and that's up to them.

I DO wish that people had a better idea of just how expensive pets can be when they adopt or rescue them, and I wish that my colleagues did a better job of talking about these issues at healthy pet exams. I think it causes a lot of stress and bad decisionmaking when a pet owner has literally never thought about what they would do if they were presented with the choice between saving a pet's life for >$5000 or euthanizing/letting the animal die. I'm not saying that's necessarily what happened here, but it does happen a lot. I also wish that my colleagues in the emergency&critical care vet med did a better job of making sure owners know that they aren't bad people just because they're not rich and can't afford something. In my opinion it is not really good medicine to let clients put themselves into real financial distress to attempt to save a pet.

Those people who think that the original post is not weirdly duplicitious: it's titled "Help Olivia the French Bulldog!", for goodness' sake. It is not titled "Help my friends who had an unexpected major expense balance their budget." The dog, although cute and currently in distress, is basically irrelevant since her care is in fact being paid for already.

Also Nutsy - I'm sorry that happened. Sometimes you do need a lot of diagnostics to know for sure whether you can do something for an animal or not. Sometimes urban pet doctors are just trying to upsell clients on more expensive diagnostic work and they know all along there's no point. Hard to know.

Okay, it seems like the pro-spending five grand people are a LOT more upset than the maybe-not-spending five grand people. People told Ballard Dude they hoped he got cancer or got hit by a car. People, such as myself, who expressed that maybe five grand is a lot to drop on a pet (especially if doing so impacts your life enough that you accept charity from strangers), have been told that we have sand in our vaginae, that we should keep our opinions to ourselves, that we are negative nancys, that we are 'shitting all over them'.

Ask yourselves: Why are you donating to this couple? They seem nice enough, and their dog is cute but . . . there are a lot of nice people, and a ton of cute dogs. Lots of whom need help more than these folks. So, why this couple?

@75-- Thanks. I actually have no hard feelings about the vet and the cost of care and euthanasia in that situation. Shit happens, an emergency overnight stay was involved, and my vet is incredibly compassionate as well as knowledgeable. He was very upfront with me when he told me what was going on. He actively discouraged me from thinking treatment was an option. I just wanted to point out that not treating a pet is sometimes expensive, too. I do agree that a lot of people really don't consider the potential costs of owning a pet, as well as the time commitment, work, etc. Unfortunately, I also think that even when this issue, and the others noted, is brought up to people when they are in the process of getting an animal, they don't necessary listen. I see that a lot-- head nodding, "Oh, yeah, we know, we'll be fine," as they clearly do not consider what is being said and talk over and interrupt the person trying to help them. Their kid wants a dog *today*! Of course, most people don't really consider the potential emergency costs of having children, either, and get themselves into worse moral and financial quandaries. I think a lot of people need to learn these things the hard way, or just decide the risk is worth taking.

@76-- Haven't you ever done something nice for someone simply because the opportunity presented itself?

my two beloved cats are curled up on my lap right now and i'd gladly spend $5000 on them if i had to. and Thisbe, they are absolutely my "kids", I'm so totally their "mom" and did I mention we brought them with us to spend the weekend at "Grandmas?"

that said, it's really freakin weird that The Stranger posted this particular plea for money. it seems wildly inappropriate to me.

@78, sure. But I don't then turn around and belittle someone else who chooses not to.

@80-- Funny you should say that, because I actually didn't give them anything. But I also didn't spout off about how they are choosing to spend their money (on vet care *or* wedding), how other people are choosing to give their money to them, or how much veterinary care they are deciding to provide to their pet, except to say that these issues are difficult to wrestle with. What I did say was that some people on here certainly seemed judgmental about all of these issues when this couple is clearly in a stressful situation and probably doesn't need such snarkiness (i.e., being shat upon).

@9 - I have a real life kid. I also have a cat. My cat is like a child to me. Now you know! (Of course, if I had to pick, then I would pick the human child over the feline. But then again I am sure my Mom would pick my sister over me!! lol)

Personally, I wouldn't spend 5 grand on a wedding but I would on my cat. So just remember that when a guy spends 2 grand on speakers for his TV! We are all made different! We choose what to spend our money on and for many of us - life is precious. Animal life is precious too.

@70 lol! That would be interesting indeed!

@81, I didn't say that you had. A few people, myself included, have raised questions about why donate to this particular couple--even though they have had some bad luck, they're not destitute, and their dog is getting the care they want her to have. A friend or acquaintance of theirs works for the Stranger, posted up their story, and now they have more than $700. Their story is now public, and it's open to a little critical thinking.

I don't call that being shat upon. The wishes of cancer and/or being hit by a truck, now that's a different story.

Why this couple? Because they were lucky. They knew some one with a platform who got their story noticed. So what? Donate or don't donate. Or, if the fact that this time their good luck (in getting their story on the slog) out balanced their bad luck (getting their dog run over) is so bothersome, go donate your time and/or money to some one whom you feel has the correct good/bad luck ratio to make them properly deserving.

I mean seriously clashfan, why does this bug you so much?
And I would like to go on record as having only ever wished a Gruesome Demise upon Seattleblues. :)

Lissa, I am actually less bothered by this couple than I am about how dissenters here were treated. Being told I have sand in my vagina (what the hell does that even mean?) for daring to suggest this isn't the most efficient use of charity dollars is kind of insulting. Maybe you didn't wish ill on Ballard Dude, but others did. Is that who we are? Is this the kind of people we want to be?

Yeah, yeah, I know: Welcome to the Internet. Welcome to SLOG.

@ 86, of course people go too far on slog. But if @ 9 hadn't come across as so unfeeling, the tone wouldn't have already been set by the time you said what you said. (Which, IMO, was a bit on the judgmental, unfeeling side of things as well.)

None of it is right, but if you're smarting about the shit dumped on you, understand that that can happen when you step into a shitstorm.

Well I know that I certainly have been a little more on the astringent side this week than I normally like to be. I will endeavor to be more temperate and measured in my slogging. Except, of course, toward Seattleblues.

@89, I have also been on edge. I think being unemployed due to layoffs is starting to get to me. I'll even be nicer to Kitten Koder.

@87, I'm unsure what part of my post was judgmental and unfeeling toward Olivia's owners. Can you help me out here? I think the part where I got pointed was not toward the couple and their dog, but to other posters who said pets were like children.

@58: That's an idiotic way of thinking about the relatioship between pets and their owners. Dogs are pack animals. Like it or not, when you bring one into your home, you become its pack. It's not what you would define as a family, but that doesn't mean it's not one.

"Idiotic"? Lol. My well-being, occasionally my life, and always my efficacy at my job depend on my ability to interpret and influence animal behavior. Forgive me if I just ignore some person on the internet who claims that my dog is totally my child and thinks of himself that way and it's smart for me to treat him accordingly.

Tangential to that, I think that another sad side effect of thinking of your pets as your children (where the main sadness is the development of behavioral problems in the pet) is that owners are totally unready for the death of a pet. Because in real life, it is a huge tragedy if your children die before you do - but if you get a pet, you are nearly certainly going to have to deal with the death of that pet. And people really need to be more ready for that than they sometimes are.

I also just keep thinking about the $4000 in hindlimb surgery for a fracture! Dogs, and especially dogs built on the bulldog model, do FINE with only one hind leg. Especially if they have caring and devoted owners, as seems to be the case here. If the surgery was amputation, I don't understand how it could cost so much, I would have thought $2k max (although I don't live in Seattle anymore, so maybe I am just out of touch with vet prices there); and if they are paying $4k for fancy canine orthopedic surgery and having trouble affording it, I feel sad. Boo.

I've gotten sick of people who get their panties in a knot over how much people spend on their pets or animal charities. Because you know what? This is America and there are FAR stupider things that people spend their money on. "That money could go to help children's charities [or the red herring of your choice]!" Well, no shit. But if you're gonna rant about people spending money on their pets, you should also be ready to rant at the people who buy excessive vacation houses or too many clothes or ridiculous vehicles they don't need or pretty much any sort of frivolous possession. And if someone wants to put out a plea for dollars to help out a living thing they're emotionally attached to, which you don't agree with, then just don't donate. I get asked to donate to crap I don't agree with all the time - but I don't take a shit on the 5-year-old wannabe cheerleaders standing outside the supermarket. We're a materialistic capitalist society - far more dollars are spent on things far more frivolous than animals.

@94, we're not being asked to donate for Olivia's medical care; her owners have already made financial arrangements to cover the bill. We're being asked to donate money for their spring wedding. Calling that into question isn't "taking a shit" on them.

@94, when people make their opinions and concerns public, it's part of the deal that other people may feel interested in discussing their own take on matters. If someone wants to keep their private life private, great! don't post it on a publically-visible website. If people want to solicit money publically for their private needs, they should be ready for some amount of conversation to ensue. And for sure I don't see why it's your business to decide when and if others should butt out.

I don't "shit on 5-year-old wannabe cheerleaders" either - although as an aside I also do not know what the often disgusting conversational putdowns used here are supposed to really mean. But when people ask me for money in a public place, I feel like it's not only appropriate but my duty to politely let them know if I don't agree with their goals, their methods, or their manner of solicitation.

Thisbe has already said what I was to say, and probably better than I could have, so I'll just add my support.

I also have to agree with people who think it's in slightly poor taste to use a public forum like Slog to solicit donations for someone's wedding (which is basically what's going on here). And, yes, the headline is kind of misleading. Sorry guys. I feel bad for the poor dog, but it's not as if she's going to suffer more if we don't donate. She's taken care of.

Support your local animal shelter if you want to help animals in need.

what I *wanted to say. Aargh.

wow ballard dude. Do u get off from hurting people? I have 5 children amd would spend what ever it cost to fix my dog! He is as much of my baby as my 8,7,6,4,&almost 2 yr old is. And as for olivia I hope u guys get the money! I wish I could help! We will be praying!