Dog News

Teenager organizes benefit concert to raise funds for his ailing dog

by ADMIN

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When Kyle Sholinder’s dog Max was diagnosed with wobbler disease, his family didn’t have the funds to pay for surgery. So Sholinder is organizing a benefit concert to help his best buddy get healthy.

Max, a five-year-old German shepherd mix, started showing signs that something was wrong six weeks ago. “He just started stumbling around and bumping into things,” said Kyle. Max was diagnosed with wobbler disease, a slipped disc in his neck that leads to an unsteady gain and weakness. In order to treat Max most likely surgery will be necessary, surgery that can cost up to $7,000. Max will have an MRI to gauge the extent of damage to his neck and that will determine the final cost of treatment.

“Max is a big part of our family, but we don’t have that kind of money sitting around,” said Kyle’s mom, Kristy Sholinder. Kyle was devastated when he heard the diagnosis, “I didn’t think there was anything we could do about it.” Kyle and Max have been inseparable since Max became part of the family five years ago. Max even sleeps on Kyle’s bed.

Then Kyle thought of something he could do. Kyle loves to play guitar and he called up some of his friends who have bands. He plans to put on a benefit concert in early February to hopefully raise the funds for Max. He is even trying to get help from national acts if he can.

For now the usually rambunctious Max has to live a fairly sedentary life.  He can’t wear a collar because of his neck injury which means no more walks. “He’ll bring you his ball, but you just have to take it and set it on the ground,” said Kyle’s grandmother, Marcy Peters. “It’s really tough because he doesn’t realize what’s going on. So he just lies there like he’s in trouble.”

Kyle has set up a Facebook page called Save My Dog Max to help organize and hopefully entice some bigger name bands. You can find out how you can help through the Facebook page. Any funds the family raises in excess of Max’s surgery will be donated to the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.