Posted on 09/30/2010 6:25:48 AM PDT by gartrell bibberts
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – It is a story that elicits an emotional response - a dog thrown from a car on the interstate. A team of specialized veterinarians is rallying around that dog, who has now been Hope.
An outpouring of support for Hope, the black and white border collie type dog who was thrown from a car on Interstate 65 near the silos in Louisville on Sept. 28. After being thrown from the car, Hope was immediately hit by another car and ended up in the center median.
"It appears that she got orthopedic injuries, a spinal injury that she might need neurosurgery, and then a variety of blunt force trauma injury to her chest and to her belly," said Dr. Scott Rizzo, a veterinarian with Louisville Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Services.
The first step is to stabilize Hope and figure out how bad she is hurt. Then her veterinary team will devise a plan of action.
"It's gonna take weeks and months of rehabilitation to get her back to where she needs to be," Dr. Rizzo said.
"But she does has that hopeful energy about her," said Jackie Gulbe, assistant director at Louisville Metro Animal Services.
"She to me is a community angel," said Rebecca Eaves, Shamrock Foundation Arrow Fund, "because it is going to take the community coming forward to help to help her."
It will be costly. Gulbe says the early estimates for Hope's care are around $8,000.
"If you saw her eyes you understand why we're really stepping forward," Eaves said.
The goal is to get Hope walking again.
Animal rights activists say they hope this case brings more awareness to strengthening Kentucky's animal abuse laws.
"I think that by seeing things like this happen people will be more behind changing laws to be able to prosecute these people to the fullest extent," said Gulbe.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the persons responsible. If you have any information, the Louisville Metro Police Crime Tip Line at 574-LMPD (5673). All calls to the Crime Tip Line are anonymous.
Metro Animal Services, the Shamrock Foundation Arrow Fund and No Kill Louisville are teaming up to help Hope. Donations for Hope can be made to the Shamrock Arrow Fund. To go there, just click on the highlighted link.
Copyright 2010 WAVE News. All rights reserved.
and they do so gladly.
My tomcats are glad to report that they have staff.
Oh, how I hate those types who show up to inform us that humans are worth more than animals. I don’t see why. Most of humanity sucks.
Oh, meow yourself.
When I was a kid we had a dog who jumped out of the back of our pickup going about 50mph. Poor guy rolled about 50 times and got up and started running after the truck. Skinned his nose up but otherwise he was unscathed.”
Mine jumped out of the back window of my station wagonm on a LA freeway at night!
She got a broken pelvis at about 5 months of age, but lived to be 15++.
But you know the dog didn’t throw himself out of the car.””
See my post #25.
Actually, that’s so.
I had a dog jump out of the car window once. Fortunately I was making a slow turn, only going about 20 miles per hour. I went back and got the stupid dog. He was fine and he’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Actually I also had a kid drop himself out the door. He was my escape artist, wouldn’t stay in a seat. Sure enough he got loose, opened the door and dropped out onto the pavement. He was about three. Today’s nanny state would have destroyed me.
But in the situation described, it seems the people never stopped to get their dog. That’s pretty damning.
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