On Saturday, September 26th, our senior Golden Retriever, Cooper, slipped out of our fenced yard and disappeared into 800 acres of woods in the Blue Ridge foothills behind our property. After a day and night of searching, including help from a thermal-imaging drone operator, we found him about 23 hours later at the bottom of a river embankment, exhausted and gravely injured by a coyote attack.

We rescued Cooper three years ago. He is a senior dog who has already been living with epilepsy, and chronic arthritis. Despite that, he’s the happiest ole boy and we fell in love with him from day one.

We raced him to Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital in Flat Rock, NC where we learned he had been severely mauled by a pack of coyotes. The team there worked to stabilize his body temperature and vitals and began deep cleaning his extensive wounds to remove debris and guard against infection. Infection and sepsis are the biggest risks after an animal attack.

By Monday morning, his vitals had stabilized and his hypothermia was resolved. His happy spirit was already returning: he perked up when the doctors came to check on him and was keeping down food and his epilepsy medication.

However, we also learned that his muscle tissue damage is more significant than we originally believed. The entire back portion of his body and neck were torn open by the coyotes. The doctors are very concerned his skin will die off and he will likely need multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

This has been an overwhelming experience for us and we are beyond grateful we were able to find him alive.

Seeing Cooper hurt after searching and worrying for so long, was devastating, and now we are focused on helping him recover after everything he’s been through.

The funds we raise will go toward emergency vet care. Cooper is receiving the best care possible and we will do everything we can to help him recover.

This has been an unexpected crisis, especially for a senior dog already dealing with health challenges, and we’re asking for help as we do everything we can to get him the care he deserves.

If you’re able, please share and donate if you can. Every act of kindness, whether it’s a donation or simply helping spread the word, means so much to us during this incredibly difficult time. Thank you for keeping Cooper in your thoughts as we face the road ahead together.

With love, Cooper, Jake & Geoff