A four year-old bulldog-mix named Frieda has become the star of the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter.
Frieda was rescued in Crawford County just six months ago, but right away, shelter workers could tell something was wrong.
“When she came in, obviously looking at her hips, we knew that there was something that was an issue there and her back legs and the way she walked and we found out that she was deaf,” said volunteer Chris Wright.
Frieda needs two knee replacements—a major operation for her. Last month, the shelter started a Go Fund Me page and are already halfway to their goal of raising $10,000 needed for her surgery.
They say they’ve seen incredible response from people both far and wide.
“We’ve taken her kind of out-and-about to some businesses and some people and that’s kind of cool because we’ve had people come up to us and say, ‘Hey, is that Frieda?” said Wright.
Shelter trainer Tracy Barber says people all the way up in Cheboygan know Frieda.
“We took her out the other day to a dealership [in Cheboygan] and everybody came out of their offices, they wanted to know who she was, they wanted to meet her, pet her, play with her—she has that way about her, she just takes people in,” said Barber.
They hope Frieda’s story will also help raise awareness about the struggle other smaller shelters face, when trying to give their animals the expensive care they require.
“The problem really is kind of getting the word out there,” said Wright. “See, there’s a lot of shelters and a lot of animals that are in the same situation as Frieda.”
Frieda’s surgery is scheduled for June 1, and they’re still asking for much help as possible until then.
“Even though she may not feel at her best, she’s still willing to just love you and just make you happy,” said Barber. “Hopefully people continue to follow her story through rehabilitation and her re-homing, because it’s going to be quite a grand story.”
To donate to the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter, you can visit their .
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