OT: A Humble Request on Behalf of a Little Michigan Fan

Submitted by rob f on

My oldest daughter "Mo" asked me to share this with as many friends as possible:

https://www.gofundme.com/8f-udos-surgery-fund?ssid=841824986&pos=1

Her lovable little pooch "Udo", a Mini Dachshund, suffered a serious fall earlier this week and is essentially crippled unless he has spinal surgery. With surgery, his vet says he has a 95% chance of full recovery; w/o the surgery, Mo is facing the agonizing choice of settling for either "medical management" for her little man, with a small chance of full recovery, or else euthanasia, for this little big Michigan Fan.

Check out @Mgo13lueRob's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Mgo13lueRob/status/810159991684468738?s=09

Check out @Mgo13lueRob's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Mgo13lueRob/status/810160974401511424?s=09

Please help if any of you can, Mo and her hubby just got married 2 months ago and are unable to finance the surgery alone, and dad (rob f) is pretty tapped out after paying for my little girl's wedding in October (though I have promised as much financial help as it takes to get Udo his surgery. After all, I consider the little man to be my dog, too---he lived here for 7 years, until moving out with my daughter).

Any donation, regardless of amount, would be so greatly appreciated! (BTW, I did clear my post with a mod before making this request.)

Thanks in advance, MGoFriends!

-rob f

mGrowOld

December 17th, 2016 at 11:57 AM ^

I moved you a little closer to your goal.

BTW - this is the first one of these I've ever seen from a poster I know and respect hence the contribution.  Usually they're put up by somebody who joined about 15 minutes before the initial post.

 

Sllepy81

December 17th, 2016 at 11:56 AM ^

suffer this when I was a child. Surgery then was not a great route, low odds of success back then but I imagine it's better now. We got the wheel harness set up and he lived a few more years but it was work, he could still run around with the wheels but eventually had bladder issues. Good luck, I have another mini now that had a issue with its front shoulder/back area 2 weeks ago, $300 later she's fine with meds. I suggest if the dogs is a couch or bed jumper to buy dog stairs, I have 3 of them for couches and they use them. Learned my lesson as a kid when mine lost its back half jumping off a couch.

Good luck

rob f

December 17th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^

I'll definitely pass it on to my daughter. Udo used to do a lot of couch jumping when he was younger and slimmer but not so much that last year or two, as he's now 9 years old.

Doggy stairs sounds like a great Christmas gift idea.

LSAClassOf2000

December 17th, 2016 at 11:59 AM ^

My wife and I are going to help out too - always willing to help out a furry friend, as those of you who have seen me post endless strings of cat photos will attest. 

Good luck with this - hopefully, you get to the goal and Udo can begin his recovery in earnest. 

MikeMulligan

December 17th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^

Dude, it's a dog, not even your dog. Get outta here with this BS. Make a sound financial decision if you are newly weds and put it down.




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WolvinLA2

December 17th, 2016 at 12:29 PM ^

This is an unpopular opinion, but one that I share as well.  It's not like this is for a human kid, it's for a dog that will only live a few more years anyway. 

That said, I've got no issue with people asking other people for money.  If they say yes, awesome.

Bando Calrissian

December 17th, 2016 at 1:38 PM ^

If people say yes, that's great.

But I'm generally of the opinion that in a world rife with refugee crises, in a state where kids got poisoned with lead in their drinking water, in a time when the neediest are growing both in number and the severity of their needs, I find it really difficult to justify giving money to help an otherwise financially stable and seemingly employed adult couple get surgery for their dog. I mean, to me, the nerve even to ask is offensive enough.

Spend your money how you wish, but that's just me.

kalamazoo

December 17th, 2016 at 1:57 PM ^

It would be cool on fundraising drives if they provided a link for their own dog and then have a different link "if you would rather fund an animal rescue organization that saves hundreds of dogs per year" and post a to an animal rescue center.

I also liked the poster that suggested doggy stairs...doesn't help the current dog injuries out there, but doggy stairs up to beds and couches is like dog insurance that may reduce future vet bills and improve doggy quality of life. I'd invest in the gofundme that sold those.

Good point on the lead (and arsenic) in drinking water globally. Terrible problem.

For myself, I'd rather we all start buying up 75% of the Earth that is still potentially protectable to save all the wild animals and protect the rainforests from being burned down...I think right now the number of parks globally protected is around 4% of land area. Stay tuned for the gofundme for the first $1 trillion of needs to get it started....

jabberwock

December 17th, 2016 at 3:28 PM ^

51 years ago when i came home from the hospital as a newborn, there was a 2 yr old dachshund waiting in my crib for me.   It spent every night in that crib with me for the next 2 years.  Yes my pparents had some issues, but it did foster a lifetime love of dogs & animals.

I built many doggy stairs for my own  & friend's pets over the years; they work great, especially as vision, bladder & arthritus issues increase due to old age.  Can prevent a lot of injury & heartache.

Lots of issues to address in the world; I don't judge people for choosing people, animal, politics, environment, medicine, or whatever as their choice to improve the world before they leave it, but I have a lot more respect for people who at least choose something.

All that being said, I don't really agree with public requests to fund family/friend difficulties.  That's personal responsibility, and if you really feel the need for help, then thats what friends & family are for.  



I'm very sympathetic to the OP's situation, but no sports blog solicitation please.

Sopwith

December 17th, 2016 at 7:11 PM ^

Instead of taking the point made by many others in the thread and repeating with a similar degree of contempt and antagonism, you made it gracefully and humanely. I upvoted even though I don't ultimately agree with your conclusion, I just love how you framed it. Good job, man, I wish I would always show similar decency.

Hotel Putingrad

December 17th, 2016 at 2:03 PM ^

Rob presented people with an opportunity to do something kind and generous in the spirit of the season, and some are choosing to do so. The dog suffered a crippling accident, and presumably the majority of the board are dog lovers. Those that are indignant or offended about this situation would be better served by focusing their energies upon the causes that most concern them rather than expressing their personal disapproval. People need to lighten the fuck up.

Bando Calrissian

December 17th, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^

I'm sorry, but there is a pretty significant prioritization matrix here: this is an example of people who are otherwise able to meet their basic human needs asking other people to pay for a luxury they apparently cannot afford. And, I'm sorry, having a pet is a luxury. 

During the holiday season, when the demands of the truly needy are in even starker contrast than they are the rest of the year, this request just rings phenomenally callous to me.

Feel free to disagree, that's the point of message boards. I just wish the "GoFundMe" generation would understand that there are times when your needs are pressing to your very survival and a crowdfunding is appropriate, and times when you're just asking other people to pay for something you should probably be paying for yourself--if not doing without.

MGoBlue24

December 17th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^

and I didn't neg you. I will point out that not everyone has your prioritization matrix, though - they have their own.

It will be interesting to see if the mods make a business decision about this type of entreaty thread (and some of the other one-each threads running on the right side of my screen).

Winchester Wolverine

December 17th, 2016 at 2:54 PM ^

Well said, Vlad. Just because it is not in your priority to help with someone's pet doesn't mean you need to be an asshole to those that are deciding to act generously. I believe that every deed done in kindness should be regarded the same, regardless of the cause. Donating to one cause instead of another shouldn't determine your priorities. You're doing something you dont have to. You're being a good human being.

And those complaining about "financial decisions" of the newly weds, get the fuck over yourselves. You're grasping at straws to start an online argument.

I'm not going to donate. I love dogs, but I don't view them deserving of my charity. That's my choice. That said, I don't look down on those that see it differently. I'm sure most of us are good people on this board. Our acts of kindness shouldn't be gauged and measured of their worth. Merry Christmas, mgofuckers (I mean that lightly).

Winchester Wolverine

December 17th, 2016 at 5:29 PM ^

They're asking for help because they cannot afford it, obviously. And no one is putting a gun to anyone's head, forcing them to donate. No one is being taken advantage of here.

This is why the internet masks humanity as pissy and mean spirted. People will find reasons to complain about something just for the sake of complaining about something.

WolvinLA2

December 17th, 2016 at 2:15 PM ^

That's silly. It's more "offensive" to tell people which issues in the world are more important than others than it is to ask for money for their ailing dog. Different people have different priorities. Some people might think that helping a fellow Michigan fan's pet is more important (to them) than refugee kids OR they'd like to support both. Some people think it's fucking dumb that I would spend a thousand bucks to fly my family to Michigan to watch a football game but it's not their choice. I promise you that everyone on this blog spends some of their money on stuff that doesn't better the world in any meaningful way. I hope you don't go to movies or eat at restaurants or own a TV or ever go to a Michigan football game because you could spend that money solving the Flint water crisis instead.

I'm not going to give any more to this dog (no offense, Rob) but clearly other people have and will so no harm in asking.

Sopwith

December 17th, 2016 at 7:01 PM ^

failures of politics and government and, for better and worse (usually worse), collective action is going to have to be at the government level for meaningful relief to affected persons. A sick dog is a micro-problem that depends on family and community. 

If the issue is that you think they really can afford it themselves but would rather not, that's something else. 

rob f

December 17th, 2016 at 12:36 PM ^

but Udo was an adoption when he was just a year old. He's been a wise little member of the family ever since.

BTW, I looked up the average life expectancy of a Mini Dachshund and it's listed as 14-17 years. Udo is essentially just middle-aged at this point.

Snake Eyes

December 17th, 2016 at 12:51 PM ^

Mike Mulligan forgot to leave a fucking way out of the cellar he dug and had to rely on the kindness of the townspeople to not only reconfigure his stuck steam shovel into a furnace, but then took on an otherwise unemployed Mike (since he left his antiquated steam shovel in the basement) as its caretaker.