A desperate dog owner has turned to Kijiji to find her pooch a place to doggy paddle.
Rosco, a nine-month-old Newfoundland puppy, recently had surgery on one of his legs after his owner noticed he appeared to be in a lot of pain.
“They did x-rays and told us that he was born with two really bad hips,” says Stacey Butler. “It was a genetic disorder and they weren’t even in the sockets.”
Rosco’s first surgery is complete, but before he can go ahead and have surgery on his second leg, he needs to heal from his first surgery.
“Swimming is pretty much the best hope he has for building up the muscle enough so they can operate on the other side,” says Butler.
Rosco needs access to an indoor pool for water therapy four times a week, for roughly six weeks.
Butler posted an ad on Kijiji and her plea has gone viral. More than 25,000 people have viewed the post.
Butler says she is overwhelmed by the response to her ad. Hundreds have reached out to her, but so far, no one has been able to offer a solution.
“I just need a body of water big enough for him to tread water,” says Butler. “He doesn’t need to swim around, just big enough that we can stand there while I hold him while he treads water.”
Meanwhile, a friend has started an online fundraising campaign to help cover Rosco’s surgeries.
“That’s a lot of money in this day and age. Most people don’t have that kind of money just sitting in an account and I love Rosco,” says Tammy Mersereau.
Butler is hoping someone in the Greater Moncton area will come forward to help. If not, Rosco’s vet says he will have to be put down.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
