A legacy fund to aid the pets of low-income Langley residents has provided lifesaving surgery to a local cat named Cosmo.
Jason Young’s pet was adopted from the Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS), but around New Year’s, he wasn’t doing so well.
Young has been short of work lately, and couldn’t afford a massive vet bill. But he didn’t want to lose Cosmo if there was anything he could do.
LAPS stepped in, thanks to a new fund that was just set up last year. Major’s Legacy Fund began with a seed of $25,000 donated by Elizabeth Smith.
Her beloved adopted dog Major was picked up by animal control officers in Langley in 2013. Despite a collar and a microchip, the shelter was unable to track down his owner, and he was adopted by Smith, a LAPS volunteer.
After Major died of congestive heart failure in 2017, Smith set up the fund in his memory to help other pet owners, particularly those without financial resources.
The fund will help any pet owner veterinary care that they can’t afford, from low-income working people, to seniors, to the homeless.
Young’s Cosmo was the first recipient.
“Our kitten has a bad urinary blocked infection,” Young wrote on Facebook, “and given my present financial situation, hope was all but lost.
“Langley LAPS has come to our rescue and I want to put out a big thanks to them.”
Cosmo’s illness was very serious, said Jayne Nelson, executive director of Langley’s Patti Dale Animal Shelter.
“The cat needed immediate surgery, he would have died,” she said.
She said that Young really loved Cosmo, and knew he was in trouble.
Fortunately, he was whisked off to the Brookswood Veterinary Hospital for treatment, with the bill being picked up by Major’s Legacy Fund.
“An update on Cosmo,” Young wrote after the surgery. “Driving me crazy with affection, love and cuddles. My best friend is back to normal.”
A second case being handled by the Legacy Fund is currently underway, helping provide ultrasound tests and blood work for an elderly dog owned by a local senior.
“It feels pretty great to have this fund in place,” Nelson said.