A Yorkshire Terrier, struck by a vehicle and left for dead, has made a remarkable recovery thanks to a Good Samaritan, a No-Kill Shelter and a veterinary surgeon, and will soon be ready for a forever home.
Eddie, as the 3-year-old Yorkie is called, was discovered on the side of a Valley roadway by landscapers. The beige colored stray was battered and broken, hanging on for life.
The landscapers brought the dog to the door of the Animals Benefit Club, a No-Kill shelter in northeast Phoenix.
"If an animal comes to us that can be fixed," explains Andra Jerffess, founder of Animals Benefit Club. "Regardless of the costs, we will raise the funds. We will do whatever we have to do to get that animal the veterinary care they need."
Eddie was eventual brought to Dr. William Linney of Phoenix Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center. With a shattered hip, the damage was extensive.
"So in order to fix the hip joint, I had to create another fracture by cutting off part of his leg bone," Linney said, tracing his finger over a three to four in line of stitches in Eddie's side. "So I could actually get to the site and put it back together, again."
After four hours of surgery, Eddie faces months of physical rehabilitation. Much to the surprise of the doctors and nurses in the office, Eddie showed that he's got the strength and tenacity to overcome this challenge.
"Despite all that, when he came in to see us initially," Linney said. "Unbelievably sweet and seemed to know that we were trying to help him out, so really cool dog. Literally he would lick my face as I was checking out his injured side, I mean, he's a really, really awesome dog."
Had it not been for Animals Benefit Club and the landscapers who stopped to help, things would have been drastically different for Eddie.
"If nobody had brought him in in the first place he would have almost certainly died from those wounds." Linney said.
After a six to eight week rehab stint, Eddie will be available for a new home. Animals Benefit Club is accepting applications on its website immediately. The non-profit is also looking for whatever help it can get to cover Eddie's medical bills.
