She’s had Dex since he could fit in her hand.
As a puppy, Dex had an overbite that made nursing impossible. So Cindi Ilchuk adopted and hand fed the dog until he was able to eat. Now he’s 10 years old, 65 pounds, and the two are inseparable.
“Dex is a support dog. He’s not an officially trained support dog, but he fell into the job and he’s filled the role wonderfully,” said Ilchuk’s stepfather Wayne Pierce.
“That dog is everything to Cindi. I don’t know what she’d do without him. He’s the one constant in her life.”
On Jan. 17, Dex broke his paw in the panic that ensued when a fire engulfed the hallway at Ilchuk’s apartment — the Town Park Apartment C block fire that has displaced everyone who lived in the 15 units.
RELATED: Fundraiser started for tenants left hanging after apartment fire
In the panic of the fire, Ilchuck slid down the drain pipe to escape the fire and smoke in the hallway. A friend tried to pass Dex down to her. She half-caught, half-broke the dog’s fall, but he landed on one paw breaking it badly.
“Everyone heard him yelp when that happened,” Pierce said.
If the break had been a few inches higher, a simple cast could have been used. But the paw was broken at a joint, and requires surgery. Dex has been at the North Island Veterinarian Hospital since the fire and is getting anxious for Ilchuk, staff told Pierce.
Pierce will take Dex to Campbell River Veterinarian Hospital for surgery on Jan. 25, but isn’t sure how their family will cover the $4,000 bill, plus over $1,000 due to the North Island Veterinarian Hospital.
Ilchuk is on disability income for a variety of health challenges, and now faces the imminent challenge of finding new housing. She has been living in Town Park Apartment C-block in Port Hardy for just over a year — the longest home Pierce can remember in the last 20 years.
Ilchuk’s mother Ann Ilchuk has started a GoFundMe account to raise funds towards the surgery costs. Staff at both veterinarian hospitals will also accept payments to Dex’s account.
RCMP consider the fire suspicious and are currently investigating.
Do you have something to add to this story or something else we should report on? Email: zoe.ducklow@blackpress.ca
Dex needs surgery after breaking his paw in the panic caused by an apartment fire. (Submitted)
