Dear Friend,

More than 9 and a half years ago, before Mr. Big grew into his name, he was a very small puppy getting adopted from PAWS Chicago.

Over those 9 years, Mr. Big grew into the gentlest giant, adored and beloved by his family and everyone he met. He watched the little kids grow into teenagers, greeting them home from school with the biggest smile. He was a security blanket, sharing the bed with his mom every night. He would lay side by side with the baby nephew, always patient with the small tugging hands that grabbed for him. He was family, in every sense of the word.

Due to reasons out of their control, Mr. Big’s family had a housing change, and couldn’t bring Mr. Big with them. They were devastated, and so was Mr. Big—it was the only family he had ever known.

The silver lining: Once a PAWS pet, always a PAWS pet. It’s a promise we make to every PAWS alumni, and it meant that Mr. Big was welcomed back to PAWS with open arms in his time of need. He has already received so much love from our team, and we are committed to finding a wonderful home for his golden years.

Before Mr. Big can find his new family, though, our vets determined he needed surgery to remove a potentially cancerous mass on his hip. He’s just had that operation at our Medical Center, and is now recovering in a loving foster home. A second cancer surgery may be necessary.

In the coming days, Mr. Big will be looking for an adoptive home, but in the meantime, you can support him and thousands of other pets in need today.

Your donation before December 31 is tax-deductible, and will be matched up to $25,000 by the mom of beloved pets Smoky Boy and Coy. That means DOUBLE the lifesaving! Please help us capture every dollar of our end-of-year $25,000 Matching Gift Challenge.