Networking Efforts Bring Young Dog Back from the Brink

A car struck a one-year-old black Labrador and left his body broken. He was found and brought to the South Los Angeles animal shelter. It seemed a stroke of good fortune when the owner was located, and he came to the shelter to retrieve his young dog. Intimidated by the severity of the dog’s injuries, the owner chose to leave him, in pain, paralyzed from the crippling fracture that had assaulted his body. His owner chose to have him die in the company of strangers.

Sad as this is, it is not an uncommon occurrence. Dogs brought to city shelters have survived off of the street, but often, they are given little time to be claimed by owners or considered for adoption before they are euthanized to make room for the next dog. Severe injuries make the odds against a recovery and adoption even greater. What makes this story so unique is that this dog may have been left to die by one person, but he was embraced and saved by a community.



Chela, a woman known to send out pleas for at-risk dogs in shelters, did so on behalf of this stoic young creature with the possibility of a whole life ahead for him. She’s one of thousands of people who network regularly to free dogs from shelters before they are “red listed” or doomed to euthanasia simply because there is no more space for them. Piercing and searching golden eyes haunted Best Friends’ Jennifer Krause when she received the e-mail about the crippled pup. Even though seeing photographs of needy dogs was nothing new to Jennifer, this was a pleading face she could not ignore. Jennifer is a seasoned veteran in saving dogs with lost hope. Her position with Best Friends Animal Society and her personal diligence have made her an ardent advocate for animals. For the dog she named Harley, the efforts were focused and steady. Jennifer sent out mass appeals to an impressive network of people and began a campaign to raise money for Harley’s extensive veterinary bills that would no doubt stack up quickly.

Donations for Surgery Reap Benefits
While Jennifer canvassed a vast pool of potential funds for Harley’s care, he lay on a cold cement floor without pain medication or even a blanket. The shelter’s resources can only go so far, but Harley experienced an extreme level of distress and suffering as his time at the shelter began to run out. Many people were moved by the potential of this beautiful dog, and they responded. Those who had never met Harley gathered money for the surgery to repair his broken pelvis and an array of other medical costs.
Harley was transported to Brent Air Animal Hospital. He was immediately assessed and placed on fluids and morphine for pain as the veterinary technicians kept him comfortable. An infection on his face was treated, and a sling was provided to help Harley walk outside to relieve himself. Soon he was fever free and stable.

It was apparent that Harley needed surgery to repair his fractured pelvis. The surgery would be complicated, and since it was a bi-lateral fracture, it would require plating on either side. Harley needed a catheter because one of his displaced hip bones was pressing on his bladder and colon. Jennifer and some associates, also affiliated with Best Friends, decided to have Dr. Bob Olds, an excellent orthopedic surgeon with Brentwood Pet Hospital, perform the complex surgery on Harley that would occur in two phases. Dr. Olds, much like the 1970’s television character, Marcus Welby MD, with his hometown brand of attentiveness and accessibility, provided more than his heralded knowledge. With a discount offered by Dr. Olds due to Harley’s circumstances, and this skilled surgeon at the helm, the community that had banded together held its collective breath while their wonder dog, having survived the near fatal accident and suffered so much already, went under the knife.

Foster Home Found
When Natasha, another area resident who tries to help shelter dogs in need, saw the photograph and message about Harley, she was particularly intrigued by his situation. She lives near the Brent Air Animal Hospital and decided to visit him before his surgeries. She also takes her own dogs to other veterinarians at the Brentwood Pet Hospital where Harley would need to go for check-ups post surgery, so she considered fostering the forlorn boy who would sorely need a nurturing environment. A true dog lover who had lost a black lab in 2003, Natasha understood the attention, commitment and loving care Harley would need in the months to come.


The surgeries were complicated but deemed successful. Dr. Olds was able to align Harley’s bones properly, and he paved the way for a normal life, in part due to the generosity of many nameless benefactors. Approximately $5,000 was raised to assist with the mounting medical bills. True to form, Dr. Olds even brought Harley to his home for a few days after the surgery to assist him in walking, and to help him regain his strength. Dr. Olds had to regenerate the nerves from Harley’s hip down his legs, so it was not initially clear whether or not he would regain feeling in his paws.

Natasha was given special training to help Harley stand up and to regain his balance so he could walk more each day. As Dr. Olds describes it, Eddie’s paws would knuckle over when he tried to walk., because he was trying to walk on the tops of his toes with his pads folded underneath. It would take equal parts patience and physical therapy sessions to get Harley confidently back on his feet. Each step Harley took was an assurance that he would one day play and recover some of his lost mobility. With each milestone reached, he regained some of his lost innocence.

New Life, New Name
Natasha changed Harley’s name to Eddie. When Natasha brought Eddie home to recover, he was met by Natasha’s 10-year-old Papillion mix named Mikey and Bernie, a 9-year-old Samoyed mix rescued three years earlier. Bernie and Mikey had grown close, and Eddie joined the close knit fold that also included clients from Natasha’s pet-sitting service. Eddie would have the opportunity to be around many other dogs, whether he accompanied Natasha to a client’s house or when dogs were dropped off at her comfortable cottage style home. In the early days after Eddie’s last surgery, Natasha took Eddie and Mikey along on a house-sitting gig. The client’s dog Java found it a clever pastime to bring a tennis ball over to a resting Eddie and drop it down on his blanket. After several attempts at this “game,” Eddie got up on his shaky legs, took the ball in his mouth and began to walk around the yard. His paws were knuckling over, but it didn’t stop him. His desire to be a bone fide member of the gang began only days after his surgery in the midst of new surroundings and changing dog pals.

Rehab Begins
The next strategic step on Eddie’s path post-surgery was to begin rehabilitation at California Animal Rehabilitation Center in Santa Monica. Dr. Jessica Waldman and physical therapist Amy Kramer played a crucial role in restoring the feeling in Eddie’s paws and in consequently helping him to walk with confidence. More people had joined the community dedicated to restoring Eddie. He got casts on his paws. He used an underwater treadmill and even received some acupuncture. One paw healed, but another has not, so he wears a special shoe on that paw to avoid further injury. The shoe stabilizes his paw and allows Eddie to have a better idea where he needs to place his foot to walk with confidence.

Through all the rehabilitation and painstaking stages of recovery, Natasha was there for Eddie—even when her beloved Bernie was unexpectedly overcome with cancer. When all she wanted to do was shut down and Natasha managed to care for Eddie even though bonding with him became a challenge.

Eddie, with his sweet disposition but bevy of needs continued to stare intensely at Natasha when she talked to him, turning his head to the side as if he was processing all that she told him. By being a part of her life, Eddie pulled Natasha from the shadows and she eventually realized that caring for Eddie was a way to honor Bernie’s life. With Eddie’s love for cottage cheese, plain yogurt and the use of a snake-like tongue that he maneuvers to get food off of Natasha’s plate, he is his own brand of dog. He has moments of pure joy when he grabs a toy and runs around with gleeful abandon. He seems to sense how lucky he is.

Adoption at Last!
About six months into fostering Eddie, Natasha decided to adopt him. Through the tough times they had found a way to each other. Days begin with morning greetings and dog cookies for Mikey and Eddie before everyone heads out on a walk. Eddie is glad to be rid of the cumbersome e-collar that was placed around his head while he slept and kept him from licking the remaining sores on his foot as they continued to heal. Eddie loves welcoming in the dogs Natasha might be caring for on any given day, and he gets particularly excited when people come to visit.


Even stellar dogs need obedience training, and Eddie was no exception. He began to pull Natasha too hard when they would go for their daily walks; his delight at being out enjoying the powerful array of smells, and as one of the tribe out among the neighbors, he needed to be reigned in a bit. Eddie is a dog engaged in the world around him. Whether he is basking in the afternoon sun while munching on a marrow bone or resting his paws while seeing the sights on a car ride, Eddie lives happily in the moment.

Eddie can show nervousness around certain people and does not like to be startled or hear loud noises, but for the most part, he has become the affectionate and smart dog Jennifer instinctively felt he could be. She has stayed in touch with Natasha and Eddie and feels every ounce of effort on his behalf was worth it. Dr. Olds has remained steadfast in his genuine interest and concern for Eddie. He visited him at California Animal Rehabilitation Center to witness his patient on the underwater treadmill, and this caring doctor wants to be the first to know if Eddie’s paw straightens out completely.

Natasha is the first to admit that adopting a dog with a disability will require patience, time and an abundance of love—something essential to know for those who would adopt a special needs dog so that the dog doesn’t get returned to a shelter. Natasha is thankful that friends Louise and Bill Ehrich have also been a part of “team Eddie.” The goodness of those around her made it possible to nurture him and answer all of his needs. If the commitment is there, the rewards can be plentiful. Eddie has gone from being helpless and paralyzed to running with the aid of his therapy shoe alongside his many dog pals who were not given the hurdles he has had to overcome.

Happy Tails
After a little over a year of recovery, Eddie has finished his therapy at Canine Animal Rehab. Natasha still does some stretching exercises with Eddie, but for the most part, he’s healed and has learned to adapt to his particular kind of ‘limp.’

Natasha, too, has found a way to heal. Often, when one loses a cherished pet, the notion of adopting another is too much to bear. But then, when a dog like Eddie shows up, it becomes all about giving the dog the companionship he needs, and the chance to survive and have his dignity restored. It becomes about giving back through another dog.

Starting with Chela’s impassioned appeal, a community stepped up, each member with a different role in fully rescuing Eddie. Ultimately, it was again one person to whom the long-term fate of a trusting dog would fall. And Natasha chose life.

Story by Caryn Casey, a Los Angeles and Minnesota-based writer, currently focusing on dog rescue issues. Casey recently authored the educational and inspirational book Underdogs, and is seeking a celebrity dog advocate to contribute a foreword. Reach Casey at CNCwrites@gmail.com.

Posted by Sandi Cain, Best Friends Network Volunteer

top photo by owner Natasha; second photo of Eddie during recovery by Jennifer Krause; third photo of Natasha, Eddie and friends by Gabriel McKail; bottom photo by Gabriel McKail.