Thaddeus is the brother of Athena and Octavius, but his journey has been the toughest of them all. From the moment we rescued him, his fight for survival began.

When we first brought him home, we discovered he had several hernias. The vet told us he needed emergency surgery due to the risk of internal bleeding—but at only five weeks old, he was too young for such an intense procedure. We had to make a choice… and A & K said yes.  He pulled through and survived!

Fast forward a year, and tragedy struck again. Our beloved housekeeper, who has been with our family for over 35 years, accidentally backed her car over Thaddeus’ back leg. It shattered instantly. 

We rushed him to the ER, but the damage was too severe for our local vet to save his leg. We had two choices: take him to a specialist out of town or… well, the other option was not an option.

So off we went to Rancho Cucamonga (yes, that’s really the name of the city! ). There, Thaddeus underwent full reconstructive surgery. Two bolts and hours of delicate work later, he was stable.

But his journey wasn’t over yet. A few weeks into recovery, his body rejected one of the screws. Back into surgery he went. And again… he made it.

For four months, Thaddeus lived inside as we helped him learn to walk again. Now? He runs at full speed across our 180-acre property, as if nothing ever happened.

Our dad calls him our Million Dollar Dog. And honestly? He’s worth every penny. 

Donate directly to this animal’s care or support the whole A & K crew by clicking here — every little bit makes a big difference!