Frankie's Friends Featured on CBS 5 in Nashville

(Click the image to see the story)

by Shannon Royster

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Melanie Fauchet wants every child to have a fighting chance, so she's opened up her home.

"I have 15 children. Ten of them are adopted majority handicapped from a variety of countries," said Fauchet.

She and her husband are drowning in medical bills. "I mean we have doctor's appointments at least every week," said Fauchet.

But that didn't stop the Fauchet family from spreading their love even further.

"When we heard about Nova needing a home we just decided that would be a nice thing," said Fauchet. "He's a very friendly and nice dog."

What they didn't know is Nova too would soon need medical care.

"He chased a squirrel over a ledge and the squirrel went over and landed fine, but Nova jumped over and didn't land fine," said Fauchet.

The 2-year-old German Sheppard mix broke his leg, and it would cost $3,300 to fix it. Fortunately, financial help she didn't know existed was on the way.

"Once you apply to care credit and your care credit is denied, then we can move into the application process with Frankie's Friends." said Carla Ciuffo of Frankie's Friends.

It's a national non-profit group new to Tennessee that provides grants to qualifying pet owners.

"We can only help people if people help us," said Ciuffo. They rely on public donations to the group's Hope Fund.

Once approved for the grant, the hospital and attending vet also make a contribution.

In this case, all of Fauchet's bill will be taken care of except 500 dollars, something she said she can handle for Nova.

Frankie's Friends does not fund primary care like ear infections, teeth cleaning, vaccinations and preventative care.

Nova is expected to make a full recovery after surgery next week.

If you need help for your pet or if you would like to make a donation click here.

Email: sroyster@newschannel5.com Facebook: Facebook.com/NC5ShannonRoyster Twitter: Twitter.com/NC5_SRoyster

Frankie's Friends Helps Save Dog that Saved Owner

I wasn't sure I was ready to get another dog when I came upon my 9-month-old puppy, Baby. We had recently lost our beloved English mastiff, Oz, to osteosarcoma about 6 months prior. That was very hard for us. I rescued Baby from the Humane Society when he was just 3-months-old and fell in love with all 3 pounds of him! It was a big change going from the world's biggest dog in my 180 lb mastiff to the world's smallest at just 3 pounds.

I should really say that Baby rescued me. I was diagnosed with Lupus two months prior to finding Baby. With Lupus it's hard sometimes to just get out of bed and function. The pain and fatigue takes a toll on you physically, mentally and emotionally.

Having Baby in my life forced me to get up and get moving no matter how hard it was. I started taking Baby for walks and taking him to the dog park every Sunday morning no matter how bad I felt and over time I started to feel better. I looked forward to our Sundays at the dog park. I couldn't wait to come home to him after work and he was always happy to see me.

Baby goes everywhere with me that I can take him. He sleeps with me at night and when the alarm goes off, he comes right up to me and rolls over in my arms for cuddle time and belly rubs . It's the only thing about mornings I like. Baby follows me around everywhere, he never leaves my side.

One day, Baby just wasn't his energetic self, you could tell he didn't feel good and was vomiting. I took him to BluePearl around midnight one night and he had to stay over night. I got a call the next day that Baby had an obstruction and needed surgery right away. After the surgeon explained it to me and told me how much it would cost, I broke down.

I didn't have the money and had no idea how I would get it. I was over whelmed with grief and the feelings I had of losing Oz a year earlier.

I called friends, family, my credit card companies and there was just not enough funds to cover his surgery. I was pretty much inconsolable, time was critical to get Baby back into surgery. I had no other options. My puppy was going to die because I didn't have the money to save his life after he had brought so much into my life.

You couldn't imagine that feeling, that's when I was told about Frankie's Friends and how the remarkable doctors donated the rest of the money to save Baby's life. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe the generosity of strangers to help save my puppy. I am forever in their debt and will most definitely pay it forward in honor of Baby and Oz. Baby spent three nights in the hospital and had the best of care. He recovered quickly and is back to his playful, fun self.

I thank you Frankie's Friends and all the staff from the bottom of my heart for saving my Baby.

Forever in your debt,

Laura

Layla Has Foreign Object Removed with Frankie's Friends Help

Frankie’s Friends, It’s hard to really express our appreciation for the assistance from this wonderful organization. Our cat, Layla, is an amazing gift, and we have been continuing to enjoy and love our time with her since the very second she was brought back home after foreign object surgery.

Since we took in Layla we noticed right away she had a destructive nature, much like that of a puppy. One of her usual routines is to drag her litter box, on its mat, right out of the bathroom in her mouth. We have already hidden half of the things in our home. The second we missed a neat new object on the ground she took advantage of the situation, which was the cause for her emergency surgery.

Despite her need to search and destroy, it is a riot to watch along with her many other unique qualities. One of the best qualities is that Layla has always been so loving. Not a lap cat, per say, but she certainly doesn’t lack expressing it in her own special way. Since the surgery her love for us has grown in new ways and we are so grateful that we get to experience that affection everyday.

Without Frankie’s Friends this horrible mistake could not have been reversed. We will be forever grateful for this opportunity, and have already begun to spread the word. We cannot wait to be able to give back to this amazing foundation.

We are true believers that pets are the most unconditional love you will ever get to experience, and because of Frankie’s Friends and the surgery Layla received, we get to experience that with her for many, many more years to come.

Deepest Gratitude,

Chelsey & Julian