Urgent: Help us save this beautiful puppy 🤍
A chance encounter at the Whangaroa wharf led us to this beautiful puppy with a broken leg — help us get her the surgery she needs.
Kerikeri, Northland
We weren’t expecting to come home with a dog today 🤍
We went for a walk down to the wharf in Whangaroa and met a woman with a bunch of beautiful puppies we’d been watching. I said how gorgeous they all were, and she pointed to one and said, “this one is so beautiful… but she’s just been to the vet today.”
They’d done X-rays and told her it’s a broken back leg. Around $6,000 for surgery.
I asked what her name was, and she said, “we were thinking of calling her Jesse.”I just smiled and said, “that must be a sign… that’s my name.”
I picked her up… and that was kind of it. I just couldn’t put her back down.
So she’s home with us now.
I’ve never made a Givealittle before, but I thought I’d try. Not out of panic — just hope. If there’s a way to get her the care she needs, I want to give it a go.
She’s been quoted about $6k for an orthopaedic surgeon to set the leg. We’ll be getting a second opinion as well, but either way it’s a big cost.
If you feel to contribute or share, thank you — it genuinely means a lot. And if not, that’s okay too 🤍
She’s a really special little dog. I’m so glad we crossed paths.
Use of funds
The money will go towards surgery to repair her broken leg, vet care, pain relief, and any follow-up treatment she needs to recover.
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Latest update
A little life changed because of you 25 March 2026
To every single one of you,
We just wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for your generous support in giving this puppy a new start in life.
For those of you who haven’t seen our Instagram posts, after a really honest conversation with the vet, we made the difficult decision to amputate her leg. The break was severe and right through her growth plate, which made it a really complicated repair — with no guarantees, a long recovery, and a high risk of ongoing pain or even more surgeries down the track. As hard as it was, amputation was the option that would give her the best quality of life, the least pain, and the quickest path to being a happy, active puppy again.
Her surgery still came to over $2k, and we truly couldn’t have done it without your support. Every donation, message, and share made a real difference and helped us get her through it.
We’ve renamed her Āio (Ah-ee-yaw), meaning peace, calm, and tranquility, because it so perfectly matches her nature and the feeling she brought into our home. She’s gentle, calm, and it just felt right the moment we said it.
We’re honestly so grateful to each and every one of you for being part of her story and helping give her this chance. It means more than we can really put into words.
If you ever see us out and about with Āio, please come and say hi — she’s here because of all of you.
Ngā mihi nui — thank you so much.
Jesse, Kawiti, Rehutai, Hanamairangi and Āio
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