August 22nd 2018, started out as normal. Up early, feeding and walking the dogs. Checking messages on the phone and computer. There was a message on Social Media, it said “my name is Vicky, and I manage the NC Welcome Center. Tony Vaughn, a supervisor with D.O.T. has found a dog that has may have been hit by a car. Can you advise us what to do?” As always, in rescue, you take a deep sigh as you wonder just what all the dog has endured, and then you thank the Lord that compassionate people had found the dog and were reaching out for help.
As fate would have it, the dog was found in a ditch probably two miles from my house, and Tony had put him in his truck with him and was less than a mile from me in the direction or our vet’s office. Some things are just meant to be, so out the door, I went, calling Boulevard Animal Hospital along the way. There was not much I could tell them other than the dog could hardly stand, and had been found in a ditch unable to move.
This was a day that renewed my faith in the human race. Tony could have just ignored the dog or called animal control where he would have most likely been put down due to the extent of his injuries. Vicky could have told Tony to just deal with it, but neither did because they both wanted to do what was right for the dog, and they both knew that little dog’s, life, who we named Kaleb (he was found in the ditch on Caleb Road) mattered.
After picking up Kaleb from Tony, Kaleb and I went straight to our vets. Kaleb’s hip needed surgery and on his other hind leg, his bone had shattered and he had more than one break. There was also a hole where you could see the bone through it. He was extremely emaciated, hip bones pronounced, scared, and could not walk. Where to start? How do we get him back to health? Kaleb stayed at our vet’s office for a little over a month, where his movement was restricted and limited as he gained weight and got healthy. After about a month it was time to consult a surgeon, and off to Carolina Veterinary Specialists we went.
Kaleb’s Surgeon, Dr. Daniel Mertens, brought us the news. Kaleb needed surgery on his hip joint, but also needed plates and pins in his other leg. He would need lots of supervision to make sure he had limited movement afterwards, and he would need to come back each week for several weeks to redo his cast and bandages. He then gave us the estimate for the surgery, over $7000 and there was a possibility he may have to do another surgery if things did not go as planned.
Needless to say, as an all-volunteer small 501c3 non-profit animal rescue, we were between shock and “how are we going to raise that kind of money” all at the same time. Faith in humanity restored once again as we did an online auction, we did a fundraiser, we asked for help and people helped! Within a little over a week, we had the funds for Mr Kaleb’s surgeries. Thankfully both could be done at the same time too.
We lined up one of our awesome fosters to care for Kaleb during his recovery phase, Annette Pendergraft. She had handled many of our medical cases in the past and had the perfect set up to keep him calm with limited movement. Annette was a nurse, doctor, caregiver, she did it all, and was perfect for his recovery.
Kaleb began to want a little more, as he became very active once well. He had typical cattle dog tendencies wanting to herd you, and a little bit of a stubborn streak when he did not want to do something. We enlisted the help of the awesome Dana Van Sickle, and then Kaleb went to foster with our trainer/foster, Tammy Freeman. Once Kaleb had other dogs to play with, lots of room to romp and have fun, he became the most perfect boy ever.
He was adopted to the perfect family for him and is now in his forever home. We thank the Good Lord every day that the D.O.T. supervisor found him, got him out of the ditch and that we were called to help. We also thank all the great contributors and supporters who believed in Kaleb and helped him survive.