As we move into the weekend, many of us will be enjoying time with our friends and families. We at the SF SPCA will be closely monitoring the recovery of a sweet-as-pie 2 year old shepherd named Alpha. Alpha came to us with a litter of puppies, all of whom have found loving homes. But shortly thereafter, we discovered that Alpha had a congenital heart defect that would be life threatening if not corrected.

The scope of the surgery required a specialist, which meant that we would have to turn to our friends at UC Davis to save her, but at a cost of $3,000. We are committed to going to whatever length necessary to save every animal who comes through our doors, so we started a campaign earlier this week to raise the funds.

Alpha had her surgery yesterday. It was a complete success and Alpha is now in recovery. The next 48 hours are crucial–she will be watched closely. We are grateful to Dr. Mark Kittleson, a cardiologist at UC Davis, for performing the surgery, and to everyone there who assisted.

It touches our hearts that in this economic climate (particularly this week), in just a few days almost 85% of the $3,000 has poured in. We are constantly amazed, day after day, how amazing our community is. This effort is an illuminating example of what makes this City so special: our commitment to help never flags.

We sincerely thank you, San Francisco.

Here is how to contribute to raise the remainder of the surgical fees. You can donate online or by text. Next week, we’ll be back to answering your veterinary questions!