Ralphie's story

A volunteer rescuer was driving one day and saw a dog beginning to cross the road in front of her. She stopped, but another car came from the other direction and hit him. The woman driving the other car wasn't going to stop, but our volunteer made her stop.

The woman said she was late for work, at a vet's office! What luck, our volunteer thought - she can take the dog to work. "Oh no, I can't do that," she said and drove off. Didn't even stay to help our volunteer get the 50 pound black lab into her SUV. Fortunately some men were working on a house nearby and they help lift the dog into the car.

Off she went to Indian Land Animal Hospital. The dog, now nicknamed "Ralphie", was given pain meds and made comfortable. His wound was dressed and the leg stabilized. Because it was shorter than the other leg, the vet said the bone had probably broken and slid past itself. Surgery would be required to put a plate in the leg, or it might have to be amputated.

Ralphie was stabilized and made comfortable for the night, while our volunteers made a plan to move him the next morning to The Pet Hospital in Bessemer City, NC for surgery.

Ralphie waited patiently for the results of his x-rays. It wasn't good news. Apparently he had been hit by a car a month earlier and the same leg was broken and not treated. The leg couldn't be saved.

Ralphie's leg was amputated on November 18th. He did well in surgery.