Hugo is home and on the mend, but it was a rough go lately for the two-year-old French bulldog, who was hit by a vehicle earlier this week and broke his jaw.
Anthony and Sadie Rossano have a happy home right now, despite the many medical bills the young couple has had to endure the last few days.
Last Saturday, the couple welcomed home their newborn daughter, Rooney, who was a big sister to little Hugo and his big personality.
Things were happy for the Rossano household until Monday when Hugo was hit by a car in front of their Innisfil home.
Sadie Rossano said it was a terrible accident.
“It was completely innocent as he slipped from his leash," she tells BarrieToday. "You know when a dog has something in their mind, they go for it. He got hit by a car and the driver was devastated. My brother actually told him to leave before me and my husband came out, just to save him from the trauma of seeing our reaction.”
Sadie said they took Hugo to an emergency veterinarian in York Region, which was the only one they could find open at the time.
“It was a horrible experience in that they charged us thousands of dollars and, throughout it all, the doctor wouldn’t tell us exactly what we needed to know,” Sadie says. “When we called at night to see how Hugo was, the ladies at the front desk said he was responsive and looking for attention, which was normal. Then the veterinarian was saying he was on his death bed.”
After some discussion the next day, the Rossanos decided to pick up Hugo and bring him to a Barrie vet.
“The Barrie vet said that Hugo's jaw was broken in three places, (he) lost multiple teeth and had a large gash on his throat, but the vet said even if we weren’t able to afford the surgery, putting him down wouldn’t have been part of the conversation.
"That was not what the initial vet told us. But, we’re just very happy Hugo is home now, even with some maxed out credit cards," Sadie adds.
A GoFundMe page was set up by a relative to help the couple meet some of the bills they’ve accumulated over the last few days and alleviate the stress of being new parents.
So far, the page has surpassed its $8,000 goal and raised $8,250, which left the Rossanos “humbled” and thankful.
“The community response is so overwhelming. It goes to show how great people can be,” Sadie says. “One woman we have never met donated $2,000. That blew me away and we called her to thank her. It's so nice that people have helped.”
Hugo is home and content, even heading right to his food when he got in.
But with a baby and a healing dog, Sadie admits it's a little chaotic
“It's been a handful lately, kind of like we have twins because of the feedings and taking care of them both."
