R&B musician Randy Etter knew something was wrong with his dog, Gemini, when he started vomiting. Also associated with rapid weight loss – from 95 to 70 lbs – Gemini experienced in a very short amount of time.
Culprit? Intestinal obstruction caused by swallowing a plastic bottle cap three weeks earlier while playing.
Judgment? Dire.
Gemini will die today without surgery, the vet told Etter as they sat in the exam room.
Price? More than Etter can afford.
They went down the street. Other clinic. Another dollar figure far beyond Etter’s reach. Each time, it increases again. Three thousand dollars. Four thousand. Six.
He can only look down on Gemini after each counseling refusal and tries not to think about what life would be like without his fluffy friend.
He quickly posted an ad on Facebook.
“I put my car up for sale for a thousand dollars less than it actually was, you know, wanted to take it,” he said. “I don’t care if I lose every penny if I sell this car. My dog is my best friend”.
A friend donated $2,000 to help save Gemini. But even that is not enough. Etter did everything to save Gemini’s life, but they ran out of time.
Not everyone understands that. Etter lost his job for the day after spending so much time looking for a cure for Gemini.
“You can’t really say, ‘Hey, I really can’t work right now because my dog is sick,’” he said.
But then, things started to change…for the better.
His story, shared on Facebook, caught the attention of the SOAR (Animals Reaching Streets) Initiative. According to their website, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit “works with people who are homeless or in crisis due to domestic violence or health issues and their pet(s).”
Although Etter didn’t meet either of those descriptions, SOAR not only helped find a surgeon at VCA hospital in Fishers to perform surgery on Gemini, it also brought in more than $3,000 in donations from those others who believe that Gemini deserves every chance to live. Gemini’s story even made international news, as people as far away as Romania, Hong Kong, Brazil and South Africa posted in support of Gemini.
“I never thought I would be one of those people who captures the magic, you know what I’m saying?” Etter said with a smile.
Gemini made a full recovery after having a sock and plastic pieces from a baby bottle removed. And Etter couldn’t be more grateful for the love and kindness he experienced after such a painful event.
“Literally everyone in the world tells me I’m a hero for what I did for my dog but the real heroes are the ones who helped me help him..im forever in your debts.”
H/T: Fox 8 Cleveland
Featured photos: Randy Etter / Facebook
