Springtime, Surgery, and Rock Show!

The sun has finally come out in Montreal, and with temperatures back above freezing it has been nice taking Callie out for little walks! Callie and I don't go very far, because the poor girl's hopping starts immediately, but I can tell we are both enjoying the bright, fresh air. This is a picture from last summer, when Callie was playing (most exuberantly) in the park with David. I think it's what we are all looking forward to!!

Also, we have finally booked Callie's surgery. She is scheduled to go in before 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 7th - just over a week from now! We will drop her off with the vet, who will then sedate her so he can take some really detailed (and probably uncomfortable) x-rays. The surgery process will start right after that, and once they have started cutting we will finally know just how severe her condition is. If it's what we hope, the surgery should only take a couple of hours and cost us the $1500 or so we've been planning for. If it looks worse, they will give us a call to get the go-ahead before proceeding with the (longer, more complicated) surgery. Then Callie will stay at the hospital for around 48 hours of observation, and if she does well we can pick her up on Saturday.

I have to confess some conflicting emotions. Naturally I am terrified at the thought of someone cutting up my little lady, but thankfully I have a lot of confidence in the vet and I know it's a relatively common procedure. A part of me is also relieved - her hopping has gotten worse and worse, and I am positive it causes her some real discomfort sometimes (even though she tries not to show it). The sooner we get her operated upon, the sooner she will be back to her jumping, bouncing, streaking-furry-bullet self! And hopefully we will have her all healed up (or pretty close anyway) in time for the real summer weather around here.

Still, I know this will be tough for all of us. The last time Callie had an injury it was right after the WORST haircut of her life (my bad), and somehow she got a cut on her neck while we were out of the apartment. She was ok, but just LOOK how heartbreaking this little dog can be when she's injured!

With the surgery so close, it means our rock show really is our last significant push to raise some funds before the operation. So in case I haven't blogged, emailed, posted on facebook, put up posters, or shouted often or loudly enough about it...

Callie's benefit rock show is TOMORROW night! That's right everyone - we are only one day away from the most outstanding benefit-to-save-a-dog's-leg-plus-great-music-plus-amazing-pet-portrait-prize-rock-show that Montreal has ever seen! Yes it's a weeknight, but Thursday is pretty close to the weekend, right? I'd call it "weekend-ish." Come hear some music, chat with cool people, and have a drink or two. If you can possibly come out, we would love to see you there! Here's what you need to know, one more time:

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Rockin' so Callie be Walkin!

When: Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Starting at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.

Where: Cabaret Playhouse
5656 Av. du Parc
Montreal, QC H2V 4H1

Who: Ghost Before Breakfast
& The Easy Offs

Bring: $5 at the door

Bonus: All guests will be entered to win a pet photography package from Éléphant Mauve, valued at $350! 
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I would like to take a moment to again thank all the people who have generously sent in their support for Callie and the surgery. I have been surprised and pleased by how many people have emailed or come up to me to say they can't make it to the show, but still want to pay the cover charge and support the cause. Guys and gals, it means a lot!!!

I will be taking some pictures tomorrow night and will try to post some on here soon after, so everyone who can't make it can still get a sense of the fun. Until then, here's something cute.

 

Exciting Updates!

I have been blown away in the past few days by the response from people wishing to help with Callie's surgery. What a busy week! First, thank you to the people who are unable to attend the rock show but have generously sent in donations for Callie's surgery. We will miss you at the show but your donation means so much! We are creeping ever closer to our goal of paying for that operation.

Second, I'm excited to report that the show and Callie's situation were featured on Dishpan Hands Radio, CJMQ FM with Sheila Q., last Wednesday night! Brian did a great interview and you can't imagine how excited I was to hear about lil Callie on the radio. In case you missed it, here's a recording from the DH Radio show!



Thanks Amanda, for recording it!

Third, and very exciting, we've received a really generous prize to be offered at the rock show. Éléphant Mauve has donated a pet photography package valued at $350.00, and everyone who comes to the show will be entered to win it!  Here's EM's description of the prize:

 "We offer pet portraits and family portraits that include your furry, feathery and scaly friends.

This personalized, in-home package includes seven poses in your choice of size, and all retouches (removal of pet hair, pimples, drool etc.)!

*To get the most accurate representation of your pet and to have creative input in your images, the winner will be interviewed before the portrait session takes place.

Our photographers are very relaxed, experienced with animals, and provide a lasting, memorable experience."

(EM will be on site during the show, and for more information about EM you can visit http://www.elephantmauve.com)

 

I am so grateful to EM for offering such a fun prize, and I can't wait to see who wins it on March 31st! You've got to be there to win, so I hope we'll see you there!

Finally, yesterday was St. Patrick's day, and in the spirit of the holiday I had a mini photo shoot with Callie! She didn't love the little hat, but it was too cute to resist.

Thanks again to everyone who has donated. For anyone who can make it, we would love to see you at the rock show! $5 at the door could win you the $350 prize!

Thursday, March 31st - the Cabaret Playhouse at 8:00 p.m. See you there!

Rockin' so Callie be Walkin'!

Great news, everyone!

In my last post I mentioned that I was hoping for one last fundraising opportunity before Callie's leg surgery. I'm excited to announce that there will be a rock show to help raise funds for Callie's operations, featuring Ghost Before Breakfast and The Easy Offs!!

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Rockin' so Callie be Walkin!

When: Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Starting at 8:00 p.m.

Where: Cabaret Playhouse
5656 Av. du Parc
Montreal, QC H2V 4H1

Who: Ghost Before Breakfast
& The Easy Offs

Bring: $5 at the door

Bonus: All guests will be entered to win a pet photography package from Éléphant Mauve, valued at $350!

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These two great bands have offered to put on a fantastic show for us, and all proceeds will go to the cost of Callie's surgery! Come alone, come with friends, invite your neighbor! Fun note: even though the poles have been removed, I'm sure this former strip club will provide some funky ambiance for a ridiculously fun evening. It's going to be a great time!

I am extremely excited about the show, and I hope everyone can make it out for this fun event. If you can't make it but want to help support the pup, you can always "attend" virtually by donating the $5 cover charge through paypal! (:


Facebook page here:
Rockin so Callie be Walkin

I want to thank everyone for their generosity through this process, and especially Brian for putting together the show. We're going to hear some great music, be in good company, and hopefully make a bit of money for my little hopping dog!

March Update

It is hard to believe that I started this blog six months ago to try and raise awareness (and funds) for Callie. I have to admit that I haven't accomplished quite as much as I'd hoped in terms of raising funds for the pup; it turns out that planning events takes a lot of time and energy, and then ENACTING those events takes even more! But the good news is that the efforts I HAVE made are paying off!

We have raised a lot of the money for the surgery, meaning that it's time to bite the bullet and actually schedule Callie's appointment with Dr. Planté. When we met him for the consultation in November (see this post), he said that the sooner we could get her in, the better, because her condition is degenerative and her knee is failing fast. The longer we wait, the harder the repair process becomes. Thankfully, he said that we could call as late as a week or so before we are ready to bring Callie in, because he only needs short notice to set up the surgery.

In addition to making the surgery easier, bringing Callie in now means that she will have more time to heal before the summer. Since we will be traveling in June or July this year, we want to give her as long as we can to get better! As mentioned in my previous posts, because of the severity of her condition and the extensive nature of the surgery, she will require a minimum of two months to really regain the full use of her leg. I figure three months will be even better for her.

Since we aren't at 100% of our fundraising goal, I am continuing to look for extra income wherever I can. I still work a few hours a week (outside of my schoolwork and TA responsibilities), and that money is all going straight  to the Callie Fund. Also, I have a lead on a very exciting event possibility (involving people... and music...) which I very much hope will become a reality! Should we work out the details fast enough, it will give us one last opportunity to gather some major donations before we have to take Callie in for the surgery. Everybody cross your fingers for this one!

Finally, I thought I'd mention that I made a 2nd video featuring my little hopping dog! I wanted to show you just what her "hop" looks like in action. Since the clip is pretty short, I added in a few other short clips for your enjoyment. The quality is poor and the light is dim, but I hope you like it anyway!