RAPS News

Stay up-to-date on what's happening at the Regional Animal Protection Society

Levi and Trae

Levi, a 9-year-old Poo-chi – a miniature poodle/Chihuahua mix – needs your help!

His person, Trae is getting back on her feet after escaping death through a series of lifesaving surgeries. During this health crisis, Trae (and Levi) became homeless.

Levi needs urgent dental surgery – and we’re reaching out to our community to cover the costs.

PLEASE HELP LEVI

Trae and Levi have been through a great deal together – especially lately.

Trae got Levi when he was about two months old, from a breeder who was going to euthanize him.

“She deemed him somehow imperfect,” Trae recalls. “I think he is the most wonderful dog on the face of the planet.”

Levi is short for Leviathan.

“He was just a little tiny bundle of fluff and I thought he’s going to need a wicked name,” says Trae.

About the time of Trae’s health emergency, they found themselves homeless, living in a Surrey park along with Luci, Trae’s daughter’s dog who landed on Trae’s doorstep.

Before Trae adopted Levi, she had a history of depression and suicidal ideation and attempts. She also has a physical disability and uses a mobility device. In the decade since they’ve been together, it has been the longest period Trae has gone without self-harming.

“It’s also the longest I’ve stayed with a guy,” she says, laughing.

Trae was taken to the hospital after being found on the street and, along with Levi and Luci, was placed in emergency housing at a motel. The facility’s owner had not been told there would be pets and threatened to kill the dogs.

The dogs were put in a loving foster home while Trae underwent two very serious surgical procedures and spent months recovering. “Luci,” in another example of an intimidating name for a harmless purse-sized pup, is short for Lucifer. He (yes, Luci is male. “Like a boy named Sue,” says Trae) is a jet-black tiny terrier who was born on Halloween and behaves like a rambunctious puppy. He was too much for Trae, whose mobility does not permit the amount of exercise Luci needs. Luci has been placed in a perfect home, Trae says, where he  gets all the exercise and attention he needs.

After eight months apart, Trae and Levi were finally reunited in a shelter that accepts pets. They share a room with seven other women and it is stressful for both of them.

“He has helped me so much,” Trae says of Levi. “When I got him, I thought I was saving him. But he has saved me in so many ways.”

On top of all their other challenges, Trae took Levi to a veterinarian after a few days of diarrhea, which eventually included some blood.

Without cash up-front, the vet wouldn’t see Levi. Trae agreed to a third-party loan for $2,000, which covered an overnight stay during which Levi’s diarrhea and other symptoms stabilized but during which no diagnosis was identified. The vet wanted to keep the dog another night, which Trae assumed would result in another multi-thousand dollar bill.

Eventually Trae was refered to RAPS, where he was examined and found to be in overall excellent health.

“His weight, his coat, his eyes, everything looks really good,” she says. “He’s right on the spot for his age and his breed.”

His only problem is dental. He has numerous rotten teeth that need extraction.

“The vet thought they would need limited extractions but after x-rays it appears there will be numerous,” says Trae.

She was deeply emotional when told RAPS was going to fundraise for Levi’s care.

“I wanted to burst into tears because Levi really needs this,” she says. “He deserves it. He’s such a good dog. I know I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for him.”

Things are coming together for the pair and Levi’s vet treatments are an important step in getting both of them back on track.

“Once we get our own place, it will work out for the best,” she says, “He’s the most amazing dog I’ve ever met!”

If you are able to help fund Levi’s dental surgery, please contribute here.

PLEASE HELP LEVI

Your support is deeply appreciated.