The friendly pooch was the focus of a neighborhood-wide fundraising effort following a Christmas Eve fall that severely injured Rocco’s left hind leg.

The necessary surgery to repair Rocco’s torn ligaments cost over $3,000. Given that his owner, Justin Durrell, is a former street kid who makes his living panhandling outside the neighborhood Videotron, raising the money for Rocco’s operation posed a huge challenge.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out (about the cost of the operation)”, said Durrell. “My original plan was to go out begging every night until I raised the money.” Durrell estimates that it would have taken him over two months to raise the funds, in temperatures as cold as -30 Celsius.

But a guardian angel intervened in the form of Montreal animal rescue Eleven Eleven, who were touched by Rocco’s plight and set up a fundraising drive.

“Our mission is to save animals who are about to be euthanized, or who are in desperate need of medical care”, said Caroline Ross, founder of Eleven Eleven. A trained veterinary technician, Ross immediately realized that Rocco’s surgery couldn’t wait. The shelter quickly set up a fundraising page on their website for Rocco.

Soon, other offers to help rolled in. The DMV foundation, based in the West Island, donated $1,000 towards Rocco’s cause. Walkin’ Wheels, a company that provides specialized wheelchairs to disabled dogs, donated a chair for Rocco’s recovery.

The generosity didn’t end there. Dr. Eric Plante, of the DMV, decided after evaluating Rocco that his surgery couldn’t wait any longer. The DMV agreed to go ahead with the surgery before all the funds had been raised.

The immediate news was wonderful - Rocco’s operation was a success, and his recovery is going well. But Durrell and Eleven Eleven are still desperately trying to pay off the bill, which now stands at $1,400.

“It seems that now the holidays are over, and people know that Rocco has had his operation, interest has slowed down,” says Durrell. Durrell is panhandling every day to pay the bill, but can only raise an average of $200 per week.

But while Durrell is struggling to raise funds, Eleven Eleven is facing the dilemma of being unable to save animals.

“I recently visited a dog pound where all the animals were scheduled to be euthanized,” says Ross. “It broke my heart, because I had to pick which dogs I was going to save... and because of Rocco’s bill, I could only save two dogs, instead of three.”

Ross hopes that NDG can come together to help raise the final dollars to pay off Rocco’s bill. “People have already done so much, but if we can achieve one more big push, many animals will be saved as a consequence.”

Eleven Eleven desperately needs to recover these funds so that they continue their mission helping rescue animals in need.

Thank you for your generous help and support. To help Rocco or the other animals Eleven Eleven supports, visit www.elevenelevenanimalrescue.org.