'Top Dog' Simba From Brick Battling Seizures

BRICK, NJ — When Simba joined the lives of Wendy Lee Mitchell and her father, Tom, in 2012, Tom was totally against getting a dog.

Now, nearly nine years later, Simba is Tom's constant companion, provides comfort as Tom battles pancreatic cancer.

"Simba stays with him when he's sick in bed," Wendy Mitchell said. Now, Simba is having issues of his own. He's had seizures and is going blind, and her veterinarian believes he may have a brain tumor, she said.

"I have to get him to a neurological specialist for an MRI," she said. As the family struggles with the costs of her father's cancer battle, the cost of that level of veterinary care — $4,000 — is out of reach, and Wendy is hoping for a bit of help from strangers.

"This dog is what's keeping my dad going," she said on a GoFundme campaign she posted.

The fawn-colored lab-pit bull mix, named Top Dog In NJ by Patch readers, will be scheduled for a consultation shortly, she said.

"Simba and my dad are inseparable," she said. "He's a special dog and he's loved very much." Read more about their bond here: A Rough Start Gives Way To A Loving Life For Simba, NJ's Top Dog

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