Couple spent $12,000 wedding fund to save the life of an abandoned dog — then some strangers stepped up

Kindness exists in all shapes and forms. This time, a couple, who were saving up for their wedding, did not mind emptying their bank accounts to save a dog’s life that lay injured on a roadside somewhere. During Halloween, Dylan McCay was scrolling Facebook when he stumbled on a post, a call for help, to rescue a Goldendoodle left to die after a hit-and-run accident. When no one came forward, McCay and his fiancée Emily Roberts knew they had to do something, per The Mirror. 

Hailing from Arkansas, McCay found out that the dog was tragically abandoned around Conway, about 20 minutes away from their home. “As I drove, I prayed that someone had already been able to assist her and that I had driven out there as a precaution,” he stated in the GoFundMe post. Regardless, he drove to the exact location and saw the Goldendoodle lying quietly, her golden fur stained with blood. Two of her legs were broken in addition to several other injuries. He gently lifted her into the car and rushed to an emergency hospital. "She was shivering and coughing. She tried to crawl towards me and lay her head on my lap,” he wrote on a Facebook post, as part of his album, ‘Saving Acklin.’ 

After the vet checked for injuries, it was revealed that she had fractured both her femurs, with bruised lungs and a flea infestation. The dog had also been in shock since the accident. At one point, one of her legs was feared to be amputated. Unfortunately, the dog was not micro-chipped and could not be traced back to her owner. The vet conveyed to McCay that they would have to pay for the medical bills to save the dog. He and Roberts used up their $12,000 wedding fund in addition to their personal savings to pay for the piling costs. However, it was not enough. 

McCay had the bright idea to set up a GoFundMe campaign for the dog, now named Acklin. He penned an elaborate note sharing the story in detail and requesting donations. “The current estimates for the surgery and her emergency hospital care are looking to be over $7,000. To be fully transparent, this is one of the toughest situations that Emily and I have ever experienced, emotionally and financially,” McCay continued. “We are upset, we are worried, we are stressed. We have pulled the money from our wedding fund and our overall life savings to fund these medical expenses.” With an initial target of $11,000, the campaign was able to raise a whopping $50,752 for the medical treatments. According to the post, the foster caretaker of the puppy met up with the couple after the surgery.

She relinquished all rights to the puppy and turned it over to the couple. McCay was drawn to the “wonderful girl” and hoped to give her the best life possible. While Acklin, who was renamed to Maple, is still under medical supervision, the couple is happy to take care of her. They revealed that she can now walk; however, they are still wary of her recovery progress. “Acklin (now renamed Maple) finally came home today! Emily and I have learned just how silly, playful, and joyous she is,” McCay wrote. They also created her TikTok page, Maple the Dood (@sweetlifeofmaple), to share her homecoming and recovery journey with the world. In their latest Facebook update, the couple celebrated their 6th anniversary with their two dogs and also announced their wedding within a year.