PORT ANGELES — Max will get his surgery, thanks to about 150 people who attended the “Save the Dog” benefit Saturday and a wealth of donors, his owners said.
The “Save the Dog” concert raised $2,649 to help pay for surgery for Max, the Sholinder family’s 5-year-old German shepherd mix, Kristy Sholinder said Sunday.
“We’re within $1,000 of our goal,” Sholinder said.
The Sholinders’ efforts have raised a total of more than $6,000 out of the $7,000 needed for surgery to treat Max’s “wobbler disease” — a slipped disc in the dog’s spine that strikes large-breed dogs — that could paralyze him, she said.
The amount in fundraising accounts is close enough that the family will confirm a Feb. 28 appointment for Max to visit the Seattle Veterinary Specialty Clinic for a pre-operative exam, Sholinder said.
It couldn’t have come too soon, as Max is getting worse, she said.
Sholinder said that because an interim medical treatment has begun to wear off, Max fell down the stairs Saturday while trying to run from the yard into the family home.
“Luckily, he had only come up a couple of steps,” she said.
Max was diagnosed in December, and the family discovered that the treatment for his condition was more than they could afford.
Kyle Sholinder, 15, decided to throw a benefit concert — the best way he could think of to pay for the surgery.
The event starred local teen performers such as John Doster, Lenora Hofer, Annika Pederson and Shania Yockey of Port Angeles, and included a silent auction at Olympic Vineyard Church in Port Angeles.
The story of Kyle’s attempts to save his companion gained the attention of several news outlets, including Seattle radio stations. It also traveled through Internet social media.
Donations from dog lovers and current and former residents of the North Olympic Peninsula swelled several donation accounts.
The family received more than $3,300 in donations through a PayPal account and a Save the Dog account at Sound Community Bank in Port Angeles, the Sholinders said.
Any proceeds exceeding the cost of Max’s treatment will be given to the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society, the family said.
Donations can be made to the Save the Dog account at Sound Community Bank in Port Angeles, 110 N. Alder St., or to a PayPal account for online donations: k_sholinder@yahoo.com.
For more information about how to help with Max’s treatment, contact the Sholinders through their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/savemydogmax.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsula dailynews.com.
