Daughter Helps To Bring Dad, Dog Who Saved His Life, Home

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A Southampton woman is opening her heart and asking for help to help finish her father's house so that he, and the dog who saved his life, can come home.

To that end, a GoFundMe page, "New Home For Dad And His Dog," has raised $2,735 so far.

"My father is selfless man," Angela Lee wrote. "One of the good guys, you know. Loves his family, loves his dog and will do absolutely anything for us."

Her father, she said, is the type of person who can make instant friends with anyone.

"From the supermarket to the post office, to the pharmacy and the convenience store, everyone knows him and his dog," she said. "They're charismatic and friendly and loving and for as long as I can remember he has always put others before himself. When Daddy and Winston are in town people flock to them. The kids want to know when they're coming out to play. They're enamored by his stories and his charm; he's an instant friend."

In the past few years her father, who has Type 2 diabetes, has been through a lot, with his mobility, his happiness and his ability to heal affected, she said.

"After adopting Winston, his 'baby dog' as he calls him, things were moving forward; he lost a tremendous amount of weight and was feeling good and mobile and his medication was reduced. Winston essentially saved his life," Angela Lee said.

In early May, she wrote, her father had an accident; he fell down the stairs on his deck and hit his head, causing bleeding around the brain.

"Winston saved his life again by barking non-stop till help arrived," she said.

Her father needed emergency surgery. "My dad is 6'3", I've never seen him look so small as he did, unconscious in that hospital bed. My huge dad, the handyman, the DIY-er, the selfless family man who, before anything, else makes sure his family is taken care of. His surgery went well, but he is not out of the woods and now has a long road of recovery ahead of him. His diet has to be reevaluated, his lifestyle, his self care. Now it's our turn to take care of him."

Throughout her life, Angela Lee said the house her father calls "home" has been a work in progress, under construction for decades. The home, she said, had first belonged to her grandfather, who had a dream for the house.

"A big dream spilling over with family and fun and babies and summers and holidays and weddings," she said.

Today, she and her father share the same dream.

But over the years, she said, an unfinished home is difficult to maintain, especially with low funds, limited physical ability, and pride.

"The point of this GoFundMe is to raise funds to completely finish the house my family has been dreaming of for three generations. It's not cosmetic — everything needs to be completed, a total overhaul," she said.

Work that need to be done includes a foundation, roof, floors, walls, kitchen, and bathrooms.

"This house needs to be become a home. I know it's a long journey and it's not going to happen overnight but now is the time. My dad needs to come home to a home and he needs comfort to feel motivated to continue his recovery and continue moving forward. This house needs to be a family home. It needs to be a place for holidays and late night card games at the kitchen table. It needs to smell like fresh cut grass and be breezy and bright and warm, plush and inviting and solid and comfortable," she wrote. "He needs to be able to go home to a home."

To donate, click here.

Photo courtesy of GoFundMe.