March 2007:
On Valentine’s Day, a young Westie was seen sitting in the middle of the road in New Haven, Indiana. A good samaritan avoided hitting him but decided to turn around and try to get him out of the road so no one else would hit him. As she turned around she saw a driver of an SUV seemingly swerve to hit this poor little guy. She said it looked like the tires just missed him. She got traffic to stop and scooped him up and took him home. The lady placed ads in the local paper trying to find his original owners. No one came forward. She discovered the dog is a Westie after a neighbor saw him. He was badly matted and slept nearly all day for several days. After about a week he began slowly moving around and seemed to be on the mend. Another couple of weeks went by and he became more mobile.
On our end, we were planning a visit to my son’s school to help educate children on responsible pet ownership. I went to my son’s class early last week and talked to the students and passed out some information. Later that evening a lady called and said her daughter had brought home a card for our rescue…and could we help her. She told me the Westie’s story. I asked if he had been to the vet. She said no, they didn’t have any money for that. But she felt he was doing just fine. I went over and picked him up. We brought him home and vaccinated him and scheduled a groom! He turned out absolutely gorgeous…and was no doubt a Westie. What a handsome boy! But during the groom, we found he had some sensitivity in his hips. We scheduled a vet visit for a full check of possible injuries. And indeed, the Westie, now named Valentino due to the date of his accident, had a shattered pelvic. I cannot believe the pain this dog has endured over the last month. And he’s only let out a few low growls. Our vet is not equipped to do such surgery and referred us to the emergency hospital in town. They estimated Valentino’s surgery at around $3500. We definately don’t have those kinds of funds but felt we had to figure it out. We put him on some pretty strong pain killers and I began the hunt for funds! A Westie Rescue responded with information regarding WestieMed! I cry whenever I think about it…they are sending us $3000 towards the surgery! Valentino will soon have the surgery he needs! He already has an approved adopter and will get to start a new life in a loving home. Thank you SO MUCH! Valentino thanks you too!