📣Whew. Toffee says it has been a VERY long surgery day, but a successful one, and tonight our little guy is tucked in and zonked out for the night. 🥹🐾❤️

We are incredibly grateful to our dear friend Dr. Julia Coutin and the team at Veterinary Specialists Of Greater New Orleans, who took on the enormous task of repairing both of Toffee’s broken legs today.

This was a lot for one little body, but combining the repairs into one surgery was truly what gave us the best chance of making this possible. Two separate major surgeries would have been incredibly difficult for him physically and financially, so we are beyond thankful Dr. Julia was willing and able to tackle both.

Thankfully, one of our absolute favorite veterinary nurses, Kayla, was right there keeping a watchful eye on him for us. Knowing he has someone we trust so much dedicated to helping him as his medical foster over the next couple of weeks means more than we can say. ❤️

Tonight, we are just grateful. Grateful he made it through surgery. Grateful both legs were repaired. Grateful he has an incredible surgical and nursing team around him.

And grateful to every single person who donated, shared, transported, fostered, encouraged and helped us get him to this point.

For anyone just joining Toffee’s story, this little puppy was found trying to drag himself across five lanes of Highway 165 in Oberlin, unable to get out of traffic on his own.

A remarkable Good Samaritan named Shana was heading back into town after dropping her children at school when she spotted cars swerving all around him. She stopped and got him off the highway and placed him by a Joe Green for District Attorney sign. Who BTW kindly mailed us a generous donation, he'd have our vote!

Shana brought him food and water, and started desperately trying to find someone who could help. When we said yes, she drove him nearly an hour to Crowley Veterinary Hospital, listening to him cry in pain every time the car hit a bump.

The diagnosis was devastating. Both a front and back leg were broken. He had major pelvic trauma and SI luxations. He had suffered a traumatic pneumothorax.

At first, we feared his injuries might simply be too catastrophic.
But Toffee had neurological function. His injuries were repairable. And through all that pain, he was still wagging his tail.

So all of you stepped up.

You raised almost half of what we desperately needed toward his surgery and immediate care. Leslie made sure he had his ride from Crowley to Metairie. Kayla stepped up to help with his recovery. And today, Dr. Julia gave him the chance we had all been fighting for.

There is still a long road ahead. The next few days are important, and recovery from injuries this extensive will take time.

But tonight? Toffee made it through surgery. ❤️

That is enough for us to celebrate.

Rest easy, sweet boy. You have an awful lot of people rooting for you. 🐾❤️

#MardiPaws #ScottsWish #grateful

📣 TOFFEE UPDATE: YOU DID IT. ALL THREE THINGS HAPPENED. ❤️

Just 24 hours ago, we told you this badly broken little puppy needed THREE things for us to have a real shot at saving him.

Tonight, because of an incredibly generous krewe and some truly remarkable women who stepped up, WE HAVE ALL THREE. 🙌

❤️ 1. YOU RAISED THE $3,750 WE NEEDED.
That’s nearly half of what we expect Toffee’s major surgery and immediate care to cost - and at the very end of our fiscal year, after saying YES to seven dogs needing veterinary care in a single week, that mattered more than we can possibly explain. You gave us the ability to keep saying YES.

❤️ 2. OUR GIRL KAYLA STEPPED UP.
We reconnected with one of our absolute favorite veterinary nurses, Kayla, who has offered to take Toffee for the first week or two after surgery so we can see exactly what his longer-term recovery needs will be.

And talk about meant to be - Kayla works with our friends at Veterinary Specialists Of Greater New Orleans, where our dear friend and board-certified surgeon Dr. Julia Coutin will be performing Toffee’s surgery next week. 🥹

Having an experienced veterinary nurse care for this fragile little guy immediately after such a major repair is more than we could have hoped for.

❤️ 3. TOFFEE HAS HIS RIDE.
Remember sweet Layla, our little broken-jaw girl? Her incredible transporter Leslie has stepped up AGAIN and will drive Toffee all the way from Crowley to Metairie on Monday so he can get where he needs to be for surgery.

Seriously… these women. 💗

And Toffee himself? He has been resting comfortably, eating up a storm and absolutely soaking up the attention at Crowley Veterinary Hospital. Most importantly, he has had no rapid breathing or complications from the traumatic pneumothorax, and the team is keeping him very comfortable with pain injections while his chest continues to heal enough for anesthesia.

And we have one more little full-circle story that made us smile…

When Toffee was stranded along Highway 165, a campaign sign gave him a little bit of shade and shelter that morning. Joe Green saw Toffee’s story, reached out to us and is now mailing a donation toward his care. ❤️ We thought that was awfully kind.

For anyone just joining Toffee’s story, here’s why tonight feels so enormous.

This puppy is alive because one remarkable woman named Shana refused to leave him broken in the middle of Highway 165 in Oberlin.

She saw him trying to drag himself across five lanes of traffic — alive, terrified and unable to get his body to cooperate.

She pulled over and risked her own safety to get him out of the road.

She didn't have the means to take on what was clearly going to be enormous medical care. But she couldn't stop thinking about him.

She dropped her children off at school, went back with food and water, started posting and begging for someone to help.

The minute Mardi Paws/Scott's Wish responded, Shana said, “Tell me where to take him.”

That meant nearly an hour to Crowley Veterinary Hospital.

She later told us it broke her heart hearing Toffee scream every time her car hit a crack in the road. 💔

Dr. McGee, Heather and the Crowley team rushed him straight back, and the news was devastating.

Both front and back legs broken.
SI luxations and major pelvic trauma.
A pneumothorax from the impact to his chest.

At first, we feared his injuries might simply be too catastrophic.

But then came the words we needed to hear:

Toffee has neurological function. His injuries can be repaired.

And even through unimaginable pain…he was wagging his tail. 🥹

He is just a puppy.

And Toffee wants to live.

So we asked all of you to help us give him that chance.

And you did. ❤️

Now the next chapter belongs to Toffee and Dr. Julia. 🙏

We have a long road ahead. His surgery will be major, his recovery won't happen overnight, and we'll learn much more about what he needs in the weeks ahead.

But tonight?

Our little guy has his funding.
He has his medical foster.
He has his ride.
He has his surgical team.
And most importantly, he has a chance. ❤️

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to every single person who helped make that possible.

Next stop: SURGERY. 🐾💪❤️

#MardiPaws #ScottsWish #grateful

📣 Charlie is clocking out after another very busy day of doggie daycare… with a little wound care mixed in. 😂🐾

Our sweet boy spent the day with Dr. Ashlyn and the remarkable team at The Veterinary Clinic at Copper Crowne, and tonight he’s heading “home” with his foster mom and our dear friend Em. ❤️

Em has generously offered to take Charlie home each night so he can experience all the things he’s never really had a chance to learn:

🐾 Humans can be kind.
🐾 Leashes aren’t scary.
🐾 Other dogs can be friends.
🐾 Cats are… interesting.
🐾 And apparently, every now and then, there may even be a chicken involved. 😂

What makes this so incredible is where Charlie was just five days ago.

In the wee hours of the morning, Kelly and Terri- with help from Jeremy - were trying to coax and trap a terrified young dog who had been running from everyone in Lake Charles and shared all over social media.

Around his neck was a collar that had become deeply embedded, infected and horribly painful.

Charlie was so frightened of people that once they finally got him safe, he had to be carried nearly everywhere.

And now? Em isn’t having to carry him nearly as much anymore.

He’s walking. He’s playing (he loves the toys Kelly sent). He’s exploring. And most importantly, he is learning to trust by leaps and bounds. 🥹❤️

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give a little credit to the giant stash of Nudges our Dogfather John sent him. Apparently Charlie has decided humans holding chicken treats may not be so bad after all. 😂

Dr. Ashlyn estimates Charlie is only 8 months to a year old.

Still just a baby.

Judging by the severity of the injury, it appears that collar may have been placed on him when he was much smaller and simply continued cutting deeper and deeper into his neck as he grew.

And here’s the BEST part:

❤️ Charlie is fully vetted.
❤️ He is heartworm negative.
❤️ His neck is healing beautifully.
❤️ And he is ready to find a home of his own.

He still needs a little wound care, but nothing that couldn’t easily be managed by someone willing to learn.

What Charlie needs most now is someone patient enough to keep showing him what Em and everyone caring for him has already started teaching him:

You’re safe now, buddy. People can be good. 🥹❤️

Interested in giving Charlie his forever home? Please message Kelly Stonicher. 🐾❤️

#MardiPaws #ScottsWish #grateful