Speed Bump's Surgery & Vet Fund
Donation protected
In a rural Texas county, having to respond to a call where an animal has been hit by a vehicle is not unusual for a deputy sheriff. Certainly not the most pleasant situation to be called to, but by far not the worst. Usually the call is for a large animal, such as livestock or a deer, but on occasion, a smaller animal is struck and survives the initial impact.
This was the case on Friday morning for my husband who was called out to a scene where a stray dog had been hit by a passing car and was still alive. Expecting the worst, he arrived to find a corgi mix with what appeared to be only mild injuries. Injuries bad enough to where he couldn’t be left on his own, but not so bad that there seemed to be no hope of saving him.
Since rural counties do not have funds to treat injured animals like this, and with no tags or owners present, my husband faced a heart wrenching decision – put the dog down as humanely as possible or call me to come get the dog and take it to the vet at our expense.
When situations like this present themselves, they are what I call precious moments. These are the times when my husband, a patrol officer for more than 16 years, who has seen the best and more often than not, the worst of what humans are capable of, can make a difference for an innocent creature. Like many seasoned officers, he has held the hand of the dying, comforted the surviving, and come face to face with situations and evils that most of us will only ever experience in our nightmares. These precious moments help ease that awfulness – they are a chance for him to reclaim some of his soul that the job has chipped away over the years.
So when I heard the need in his voice to save this dog, I went to meet him and arranged with our vet to check how bad the injuries were. As with many things there was good news and bad news. The good news was he only had one fracture but the bad news was the fracture was the first vertebra at the base of the skull. There was also the news that his right shoulder was separated by the impact but that injury was far less critical than the possible spinal cord damage.
Being a country vet on a Friday, there’s only so much they could do. Knowing how much it would mean to my husband to save this dog, I asked them to keep him over the weekend and assess his condition again on Monday once the swelling and shock had subsided. That brings us to where we are now.
Although he showed improvement over the weekend, he seems to have taken a step backwards and it’s difficult to tell if it is from being hit by the car or from the sadness he seems to be experiencing alone in a crate at the vet’s. The only way to know for sure is to see the extent of soft tissue damage with an MRI at a veterinary specialist in the city who can also decide if surgery is necessary to stabilize the broken vertebra.
Over the last few years, we've taken in several rescue animals, all of which have needed some degree of veterinary attention and we've been able to make room in our budget for them. An MRI however, is beyond the funds we have available.
I know how much of a bright spot this would be for my husband to see the dog he has since named Speed Bump recover. We are willing to give Speed Bump a loving home, even if he has ongoing special needs as a result of his injuries. We are trying to raise these funds as soon as possible to help ensure that if surgery can help, we are within that window of opportunity.
Please help me save this beautiful dog and give a deputy the joy of coming home to the unconditional love of a dog he went out of his way to save.
This was the case on Friday morning for my husband who was called out to a scene where a stray dog had been hit by a passing car and was still alive. Expecting the worst, he arrived to find a corgi mix with what appeared to be only mild injuries. Injuries bad enough to where he couldn’t be left on his own, but not so bad that there seemed to be no hope of saving him.
Since rural counties do not have funds to treat injured animals like this, and with no tags or owners present, my husband faced a heart wrenching decision – put the dog down as humanely as possible or call me to come get the dog and take it to the vet at our expense.
When situations like this present themselves, they are what I call precious moments. These are the times when my husband, a patrol officer for more than 16 years, who has seen the best and more often than not, the worst of what humans are capable of, can make a difference for an innocent creature. Like many seasoned officers, he has held the hand of the dying, comforted the surviving, and come face to face with situations and evils that most of us will only ever experience in our nightmares. These precious moments help ease that awfulness – they are a chance for him to reclaim some of his soul that the job has chipped away over the years.
So when I heard the need in his voice to save this dog, I went to meet him and arranged with our vet to check how bad the injuries were. As with many things there was good news and bad news. The good news was he only had one fracture but the bad news was the fracture was the first vertebra at the base of the skull. There was also the news that his right shoulder was separated by the impact but that injury was far less critical than the possible spinal cord damage.
Being a country vet on a Friday, there’s only so much they could do. Knowing how much it would mean to my husband to save this dog, I asked them to keep him over the weekend and assess his condition again on Monday once the swelling and shock had subsided. That brings us to where we are now.
Although he showed improvement over the weekend, he seems to have taken a step backwards and it’s difficult to tell if it is from being hit by the car or from the sadness he seems to be experiencing alone in a crate at the vet’s. The only way to know for sure is to see the extent of soft tissue damage with an MRI at a veterinary specialist in the city who can also decide if surgery is necessary to stabilize the broken vertebra.
Over the last few years, we've taken in several rescue animals, all of which have needed some degree of veterinary attention and we've been able to make room in our budget for them. An MRI however, is beyond the funds we have available.
I know how much of a bright spot this would be for my husband to see the dog he has since named Speed Bump recover. We are willing to give Speed Bump a loving home, even if he has ongoing special needs as a result of his injuries. We are trying to raise these funds as soon as possible to help ensure that if surgery can help, we are within that window of opportunity.
Please help me save this beautiful dog and give a deputy the joy of coming home to the unconditional love of a dog he went out of his way to save.
Organizer
Kim Welty Schneider
Organizer
Floresville, TX
