She could never replace Greta.
But Indigo did a lot to mend her family’s hearts.
Now she needs a little help.
Indigo was the foster dog of Bridget Glantz, a Rhawnhurst native and Northeast High School graduate, living with a family and a resident dog, Greta.
Because of her rough beginning that included being found on the streets in North Philly eating garbage, Indigo was rescued and needed foster care. Glantz volunteered to help, but couldn’t commit to adopting because she had to keep her separated from the resident dog, Greta. Both pit bulls were plenty friendly, but Indigo was nervous because of her troubled past
“Greta was crazy and hyper and Indigo would go after Greta,” Glantz said. “Indigo has no front teeth, they were either pulled out or shaved down, but she tried to fight Greta and Greta sort of would run away.”
Glantz did a fine job of keeping them away from each other, and she also made sure to spend plenty of time with both dogs so they would feel love and behave.
Then the Glantz family, which also includes dad Luke, daughter Chloe and son Hunter, got terrible news last summer.
“We found out Greta had this aggressive lymphoma and died in two weeks,” said Glantz. “It totally crushed me and my family. Indigo was my emotional support dog getting through that time. It was almost as if she survived all these hurdles, to be my family’s angel, as corny as that sounds.”
Now the family needs help to give Indigo the help she needs, and you can get some sweet Indigo gear in the process.
Almost a year to the day that Greta was diagnosed with cancer, Indigo’s vet determined she has a rectal polyp that needs to be removed as soon as possible. The good news is it’s a fairly easy procedure. The bad news is it costs more than $2,000.
Like many, coronavirus has caused financial hardships for the Glantz family, but not doing the surgery is not only dangerous, it’s not an option. When they adopted Indigo, they promised to protect her and now that includes making sure she gets the health care she needs.
So she is holding a fundraiser selling Indigo merch as an incentive for helping her pay for the dog’s surgery, which is slated for next week.
On the site, she is selling Team Indigo shirts, mugs and tote bags, and the proceeds from the goods go to help pay for the surgery. The site also takes donations, and donations can be made directly to VSEC, where Indigo is having surgery. The goal is to raise about $2,500, which is the estimate of the medical bills.
“I just couldn’t not help her,” said Glantz, a former ACCT volunteer and co-founder of Emeka’s Fund, a nonprofit that helps people with sick animals at the end of their lives. “She did so much for us when Greta died. She was always there for us. She really took over as Hunter’s protector. She really is a great dog and we really want her to be better as soon as possible.”
Indigo certainly had a rough start to life, but the surgery is also a pretty big hurdle. But Glantz is confident her girl will be back to full strength, and back to living the good life after she recovers.
“She had a lot of problems, but she’s such a good dog,” Glantz said. “She deserves to be happy and healthy. She’s very happy, she loves being around us. We promised we’d take care of her and we want to make sure she’s always happy and healthy. I just really hope she makes out OK after the surgery.
“A lot of people have helped us in a lot of ways, and we’re so thankful for it. Even people who have just said nice things or people who have shared (the fundraiser). We’re going to make sure we do everything we can to help her.”
To make a donation or to buy some Indigo gear, visit http://www.teamindigo.deco-apparel.com/ or visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/team-indigo.
