Frankie’s Friends helped Petunia receive emergency TPLO surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament. This is a note from her family.
“I cannot thank you enough for helping my Petunia.
Petunia and I both have rather traumatic pasts. My friends surprised me with our union and all her supplies in 2020. Eliza said, “She needs a very special person who can give her very special love, and I don’t know anyone with a bigger capacity for love than you.
Petunia and I are two peas in a pod. She’s my shadow, my “velcro dog,” as some people call it.
I live with complex and severe post-traumatic stress disorder and often have panic attacks. Petunia can sense when I am having a panic attack from across the apartment, and she will find me and comfort me immediately. She lays over me like a living, breathing, weighted blanket. That grounds me and brings me out of the panic.
Petunia is a goofball. She has a whole personality and is a whole character of her own. We laugh out loud because of something she does at least once daily.
Her favorite thing to do, though, is run. She has so much happiness inside her that she doesn’t know what to do with it all! So, when one of our family members returns home for the day, for instance, it could result in a 5-minute long zoomie-fest through the apartment. There’s no stopping her.
I wish I could show you videos or photos of the ways that Petunia takes care of each one of us in the household, in their own unique and special way. She has a different relationship with all of us.
For myself, she’s a snuggler and loves to play ball or have a brain toy to knock around. She pays attention to my body language, voice, and energy and knows immediately when something is off.
She goes to my partner Jeff especially if she’s hurt, scared, or not feeling well. She’ll be glued to him. Her kisses on his hands are very gentle, and she falls into him and pushes herself into him for a hug.
Our 16-year-old Christopher is her favorite person to run and play with because he can play tug, fetch, take her running, all the rowdy stuff. And she LOVES it!
Our 13-year-old Maddie often seeks out Petunia for cheer-up snuggles or sleepy couch naps. They roll around on the floor together, play “hide and seek,” and have “cuddle puddles” on the couch.
Another thing Petunia does when she’s super happy is “get spicy,” where she dramatically flops her body on the floor or ground, lays on her back, and then joyfully rubs her back on the surface back and forth with her feet up in the air, and a big goofy smile on her family.
I miss seeing her express that joy, and I can tell the pain from her knee is robbing her of most of it. She’s hardly getting up the past few days, as even standing to eat is getting to be too painful for her.
Thank you for helping me get her the care she needs. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
