07/18/2026
GOAL MET - thank you!!! 💜🩷💜
💔🙏🏻⚠️ PLEASE HELP HOPE!! ⚠️🙏🏻💔
“Friends, it's taken us a few days to regroup after Hope's latest surgery. We won't pretend this week has been easy. We went into surgery believing her rear leg could be saved. Instead, she came out as a tripod.
Since then, we've spent countless hours researching every possible option, contacting specialists, applying for grants, and searching for financial assistance. Unfortunately, there just isn't much available for a case this extensive, and we're not finding anyone able to take on a surgery like this pro bono.
This is going to be a long post, so thank you in advance for staying with us. We also wanted to put Hope's entire story in one place for those who may just be learning about her.
On July 7, Hope was first spotted on River Heritage Boulevard in Woodbridge in a Ring post. We don't know who saw her or exactly what condition she was in at that moment, but we assume she was still able to move because nothing in the post mentioned an injured dog lying in the roadway.
A few hours later, everything changed.
A Good Samaritan found Hope unable to move and rushed her to VCA Woodbridge Animal Hospital. The examination revealed a fresh fracture of her rear leg, a pelvic fracture, fractures in one of her front legs, and a fractured tailbone. Even more disturbing, the veterinarians discovered evidence of older fractures that had been left to heal on their own—and they had healed very poorly. She also had burns and sores on her feet from walking on hot pavement. Oh, and Hope is estimated to be only 8 months old. She weighed 17 lbs.
Despite everything, the veterinarians believed Hope could still have a good quality of life with either surgical repair or amputation of the rear leg if cost was an issue.
The Good Samaritans took Hope home and reached out to several lost pet groups looking for help finding an owner. We were the only group that responded.
Things moved very quickly after that.
The cost of Hope's care was far beyond what her finders could manage alone, and she desperately needed treatment. Wanting to act quickly, one of our volunteers started a GoFundMe. At the time, we honestly believed we only needed to raise enough money for her initial veterinary care and what we thought might be a straightforward amputation. We did receive some criticism for launching a personal GoFundMe, so we corrected that as quickly as possible, and stepped in to help. We also had another helpful person call the police on us stating that we had a scam going. Nice huh?
Hope was then evaluated by Tackett's Mill Veterinary Hospital. Their examination confirmed the extent of her injuries, but also uncovered much more. She was severely anemic, malnourished, and had sores inside her mouth and on her nose. The injuries suggested her mouth may have been forcibly held closed at some point, though no one can say for certain. Her little body was showing every sign of prolonged neglect and hardship. I would like to shout from the rooftops that Tackett's Mill Veterinary Hospital did not charge us ONE CENT for their consultation, images, and lab work. I realize vets can't work for free, but they have the humanity to know when people are trying to do their best by an animal.
Because of the complexity of her orthopedic injuries, she was referred to a specialty vet and someone recommended The Hope Center in Vienna. There are only a handful of hospitals in our area capable of performing surgeries this specialized, and after receiving recommendations, this is where Hope was taken.
The surgeons confirmed just how serious her injuries were, but they also believed they could save her rear leg. The treatment plan required two major surgeries. The estimate for the first surgery alone was just over $7,000.
Then something incredible happened.
This community stepped up.
Within 48 hours, enough donations came in to make that first surgery possible. We still can't thank you enough for making that happen.
Hope went into surgery this past Tuesday. Unfortunately, once the surgeon began operating, she discovered something no one could fully appreciate from the imaging alone. One of Hope's old fractures had healed so abnormally that bone had grown into the surrounding muscle. There simply wasn't a way to reconstruct the leg safely. The difficult decision was made to amputate.
At the same time, the surgeon repaired her pelvic injury, so this was far more involved than an amputation alone.
We did receive a credit of about $300, which remains on Hope's account.
After surgery came the estimate for the second operation.
This next surgery is critical.
Hope still has injuries to her front legs. The procedure will repair the fracture and perform an osteotomy—a carefully controlled surgical cut in the bone—to correct the deformity so it heals properly. There's hardware involved. This is not an easy surgery. Since Hope is now relying on three legs instead of four, giving her the strongest, healthiest front legs possible is incredibly important for her future mobility and comfort.
The estimate for this surgery is approximately $11,000 (included in the photos).😱😱
Thanks to the incredible generosity from all of you during the first fundraiser, we're "only" about $7,100 away from making this second surgery possible.
We know. That's a big number.
And asking this community to help again, so soon, is not something we do lightly.
But Hope has already endured more than any dog ever should. Whether her injuries came from repeated abuse, multiple accidents and neglect from letting a dog "roam," or something we'll never fully understand, we do know this: they didn't happen overnight.
At first, many of us assumed she'd been struck by a vehicle shortly before she was found. But as more examinations were done, that explanation didn't seem to account for everything. There was very little soft tissue trauma, no significant bruising, no damaged fur, and injuries affecting multiple areas of her body—some fresh, some much older. We may never know exactly what happened to Hope.
What we do know is that she was found, she was given a chance, and an entire community rallied around her.
Now we're asking if we can finish what we started.
We have approximately 2–3 weeks to raise the remaining funds needed for her surgery. 🙏🏻
Before anyone asks, yes—we've pursued just about every grant and assistance program that has been suggested. We've contacted specialists throughout Virginia and Maryland. We've explored alternative hospitals. Unfortunately, there simply aren't discounts available for a surgery this specialized, and Hope's finders don't have the resources to travel hours away for multiple consultations. We are getting a 20% discount through the 501(c)(3).
If you have contacts with a business, foundation, employer, or organization that supports animal welfare, we would be incredibly grateful if you would reach out on your own on Hope's behalf. Emma4Paws is now our 501(c)(3) partner, and we're happy to provide any documentation they may need.
If you can donate, thank you.
If you can't donate, please share Hope's story.
Sometimes all it takes is for the right person to see a post.
We'll leave you with Hope's newest photo. Her wonderful caretakers had a trip planned before all of this happened and decided they simply couldn't leave her behind with someone else. So Hope has enjoyed a little road trip, soaking up love, attention, and all the comforts she deserves. Despite everything she's been through, she's still gentle, trusting, and happiest when she's surrounded by the people who refused to give up on her.
Let's see if we can get her to the finish line together.
To Donate: (Tax Receipt Provided by Emma4Paws)”
*** GOAL $7100 *** MET!!! 💜🩷💜
- Shared from Lost and Found pets Prince William County Va. ⭐️
