Last week the following article was in our local paper about a GSD found wandering after being shot. The wonderful people at Animal Control convinced the Vet. to treat the dog and let them take donations for payment of the amputation of the shattered leg.
They were close to having the debt paid off when the dog, named Courage for his wonderful spirit, developed an infection. As of yesterday and our donation, the bill was about $500.00. If anyone here is able to help, the mailing address for Courage is in the article. Courage is expected to recover and have a forever home by Christmas.
Here is a link to the whole article.
http://www.deserttrail.com/articles/2007/11/14/latest_news/news1.txtThanks, everyone.
Courage adjusts to life on three legs
By KELLY O’SULLIVAN / The Desert Trail Wednesday, November 14, 2007 3:11 PM PST
TWENTYNINE PALMS — Just one day after undergoing 4 1/2 hours of surgery to remove a leg rendered useless by a shotgun blast, Courage the German Shepherd was doing well, hanging out Tuesday, Nov. 13 with Palms-N-Paws Animal Shelter staff before heading to a volunteer’s house where he’ll spend the next two weeks recovering.
As first reported on thedeserttrail
.com, the 1 1/2-year-old dog was brought into the shelter on Tuesday, Nov. 5 suffering from what the staff believed was a shoulder injury caused by being hit by a car. The dog, then nameless, was crying in pain but despite his distress he sought comfort from shelter staff, wagging his tail and licking everyone’s hands instead of lashing out as injured animals tend to do.
His good-natured braveryresonat
ed with shelter staff and they soon named him Courage.
As they do with all injured animals, the staff immediately went into action, checking the dog to determine the nature of his injuries.
“You could see that he had an open fracture,” Animal Control Officer Windy Baker said. The staff arranged to have the dog X-rayed by the veterinary staff aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center.
When they sent the X-rays to High Desert Animal Hospital in Yucca Valley for review, they were shocked at the results. Courage hadn’t been hit by a car, he’d been shot.
“I was crying,” Baker said. “Once we saw that X-ray, it was just heartbreaking.”
“In the X-ray, you could see the metal fragments,” Shelter Attendant Dawn Wallace said.
Once they learned Courage’s condition, Baker, Wallace, Animal Control Superintendent Rick Boyd and Shelter Technician Dina Soriano knew they didn’t have many options.
Repairing Courage’s shattered shoulder would cost at least $5,000, which was out of the question. Amputating his leg would cost $550 to $900, which isn’t in the shelter’s budget. Add the cost of antibiotics and pain medication and they were looking at another $200.
Usually, animals with such injuries have to be euthanized, Baker said, but a dog like Courage inspires people to find a way.
High Desert Animal Hospital agreed to take payments for the surgery bill and provided Courage’s pain medication.
Rio Ranch Market donated food for the young dog, and shelter visitors who heard his story began opening their wallets. The first donation came from a couple who had come to adopt Max, another German Shepherd at the shelter.
“They wrote a $100 check,” Wallace said. Bills also started accumulating in a donation box in the shelter lobby.
Surgical success
On Monday, Nov. 12, Dr. Grant Mayne of High Desert Animal Hospital in Yucca Valley amputated Courage’s right front leg. “It was quite an extensive surgery,” Christy Lowe, the animal hospital’s office manager, said Tuesday. “Courage had lots of damage to muscles and tissues” as a result of the gunshot wound.
As he did with Palms-N-Paws staff, Courage won the hearts of those at the hospital. “Everybody just loved him here,” Lowe said. “He’s quite a game little dog.”
The staff kept Courage overnight Monday, releasing him back to the shelter after determining that he was eating and drinking well, and that his body was functioning normally.
“We expect him to make a full recovery,” Lowe said, noting that one of Courage’s biggest challenges over the next few days will be “figuring out how to take care of business,” which can be difficult for male dogs. Courage’s medical bills will total about $1,000, said Windy Baker, animal control officer for the city of Twentynine Palms.
So far, the shelter has received $805 in donations toward the surgery; the animal hospital agreed to take payments on the bill.
“They just did such an awesome job,” Baker said of hospital staff. “Big kudos to them.”
She also lauded those who donated to what shelter staff have dubbed the Courage Fund.
“Everybody who donated, thank you, and Courage says thank you, too,” she said.
“Had they not donated, he’d have to be put to sleep,” Wallace added. The shelter will continue accepting donations until the full amount is raised.
Road to adoption
Over the next two weeks, Courage will be exercised daily to build his stamina, and he’ll get plenty of rest and good food, Baker said. He’ll also stay on pain medication and antibiotics.
Then he’ll undergo a follow-up examination at the animal hospital to determine his progress. As soon as he’s released for adoption he’ll go home with his new family.
Shelter staff is screening potential adoptive families. In addition to providing a loving home, his new family will have to be able to care for a special-needs dog, Baker said. With his sweet temperament, shelter staff have no doubt that Courage will make a great pet.
“He just wants to be loved,” Wallace said.
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