A one-year-old French Mastiff therapy dog named Sebastian who needs hip surgery is getting help, and some national attention, as those he helped are giving back.

Sebastian, who is a trained therapy dog who visits schools, nursing facilities, and senior centers, is facing a $13,000 surgery that is not covered by pet insurance.  Laura Sokolovic, Sebastian’s owner, tells KDKA that she has been astonished by the response she got when people in Pittsburgh and all over the country heard about Sebastian’s plight.  She says that Sebastian and her other trained therapy dogs have touched many lives, and she’s happy to see that people are willing to give back when she needed it most.

A Spaghetti dinner to raise money for the surgery is scheduled for May 15th.  For more information, visit Sebastian’s website.