It’s said that with great love, there can be great sacrifice needed. But for one Arkansas couple, their sacrifice seemed to only make them stronger and give them more to love.
The engaged couple, Dylan McCay and Emily Roberts had been saving money for their wedding, as well as for their lives together. But a post on Facebook had them racing to a road where a severely injured Goldendoodle was laying, abandoned after being in a hit-and-run. McCay said they drove 20 minutes to where the dog was, and quickly set about working to save her.
Acklin the Goldendoodle. Photo courtesy of Roberts
“It had been raining all day and she was wet. I gathered towels and blankets and sped to the location,” the couple wrote in a Facebook post. The dog, which they have named Acklin, was badly hurt but happy to be rescued. “Her back legs were both covered in blood and appeared broken… She was shivering and coughing,” McCay and Roberts said. “As I got closer to her, she started trying to crawl to me,” McCay said.
The couple rushed Acklin to Greenbrier Animal Hospital. Vets said the poor dog had fractures in each femur in her hind legs. There were concerns that she also had an infection from being out in the cold rain. With no microchip, there was no one who could be financially responsible for Acklin.
“So this dog was basically just surrendered to the hospital, and so we kind of like looked at each other and looked at the dog, and we were just like we know what we have to do,” Roberts said.
Emily Roberts and Acklin the Goldendoodle. Photo courtesy of Roberts
McCay agreed. “[We] decided in that moment that I would do whatever was necessary to help this puppy. She deserved a chance at life.” The dog’s injuries would requires reconstructive surgery on her legs, which could cost between $10,000 to $15,000. The couple jumped into action.
“We … pulled the money from our wedding fund and our overall life savings to fund these medical expenses,” they said. “That being said, we are joyous and excited at the possibility of saving this wonderful girl and giving her the best life she could imagine.”
The dog’s surgery was successful, and now the couple are working to raise money for Acklin’s rehabilitation services.
“Our sweet girl is able to get this much-deserved help because of all of you,” they posted on Facebook. “Her rehabilitation and therapy will be expensive, but we are working as hard as we can for our sweet girl.”
Acklin is now a part of their family. McCay and Emily have a few other dogs and can’t wait for Acklin to join them. While all of their pets are named after a food item, for now, this well-loved Goldendoodle is going by Acklin – aptly named after the street they found her on.
