Local animal group helps save family dog

Caring People for Animals in Bonners Ferry raised money to help Joey, a six-year-old Dalmatian who needed an expensive surgery to save his life.

Bonners Ferry couple Dawn and Lennis Stage are Joey’s owners.  They were astonished by the help the community and CPA gave them on Joey’s behalf.

Last October Dawn noticed Joey was becoming very sick and took him to a veterinarian in Sandpoint.  Dawn was told Joey would need surgery on his kidneys to correct his problem.

Dawn said she was quoted a price of $800 for the surgery and she didn’t have a choice but to find a way to help Joey. 

Her husband Lennis was working out of town and Joey kept Dawn company while he was gone. The pair had become very close over the past three years.  Dawn said she could not imagine not having Joey with her and couldn’t stand the thought of having to have him put down.

Dawn decided to take Joey in for the surgery which ended up costing $1,700  when it was all said and done.

The Stages were shocked and then Dawn remembered an article that she read about the CPA organization helping people pay veterinarian bills.

“I pulled the article I saw and called Alice Miller of CPA,” said Dawn.  “She said they could donate $200 toward the bill, but they did even more than that.”

Miller agreed to help the Stages pay the bill. She bought two $100 gas cards and sold raffle tickets for them to help raise money for Joey.

CPA also placed a donation can in their office and people from Boundary County and as far away as Alberta and Seattle began putting money in the can.

Lennis Stage also helped working at CPA donating time to help in any way he could.  The staff of volunteers at CPA told Joey’s story and donations from people helped CPA pay this bill off completely by the beginning of February.

“We are so grateful to the volunteers and everyone who helped Joey, and we don’t even know who all these people are,” Dawn said.

Her friend Suzanne Avina helped do research about Joey’s condition and he will need to continue medication and special diets throughout the rest of his life.

“I appreciate Alice Miller and her husband George for everything they did to help us, and Barbara Brow who also got the message out, and we didn’t even know they were raising funds,” said Dawn.