My name is Scout and I'm a Shepherd/Hound Mutt-i-gree®. That means I’m a mixed-breed dog. I’m about seven months old and right now, I live at North Shore Animal League America. They rescued me from a small municipal shelter that wasn’t able to give me the special care I needed. But the Animal League can care for me, and they’ve placed me in their Help Me Heal Program to make sure I get everything I need.

For several weeks I was being treated for severe, persistent pneumonia. Though I’m felling better, it had caused a lobe in my lung to collapse. If I get excited or winded, you can hear me cough and wheeze. It makes my chest and lungs feel very heavy and strained.

I’m going to need corrective surgery to remove the part of my lung that doesn't work anymore. It’s called a lobectomy, and it will significantly improve my breathing and my life. Though this is a pretty tricky operation, I’m not worried because the Animal League is very familiar with this condition. Do you remember a dog named Bradley? He had a very similar illness and operation and turned out great! I know I will too.

In the meantime, I need to take it easy and try not to overexert myself, which is hard for an excitable puppy like me. I go for several short, monitored walks a day using a special harness that goes around my torso instead of a leash attached to my collar. This prevents strain to my throat, which can trigger my wheezing.

I’m so lucky that the Animal League rescued me. I need a lot of specialized care that I wouldn’t have been able to get in my original shelter. What’s really scary is that sometimes, shelters have to euthanize animals when they can’t give them the individual care and attention they need. There are so many homeless animals and not enough space to keep them all, so not everybody makes it to a happy home.

But you’re changing all that. Your support is making it possible for me to get the operation and aftercare I need to be ready for adoption. It’s only a matter of time before I’m cuddling up to my very own family.

Thank you so much for helping me and so many other animals like me. Without you, there may be no us.