The Gift of a Lifetime

In July of 1999, we had a little stray 10 month old Jack Russell come to our shelter. He was very friendly, but I noticed something was terribly wrong with one of his back legs.  On first inspection, it looked as if his rear leg was broken.  It jutted straight back in a peculiar fashion.  I examined him closer and found no evidence of a break, and thought it may be an old injury that healed incorrectly.  He had a mild case of mange as well, and I thought to my self about what on earth we could do for him.

 

About a week passed, and “Yahoo” (as we were calling him) had already won the hearts of both staff and volunteers.  He always had a look on his cute doggy face as if he was yelling “Yahoo!!!” as he ran.  Thus, he was named.  He was a feisty little fellow (as all Jack Russells are) and full of energy.  He would run three legged as fast as he could to try and keep up with some of his playmates.  Inevitably, though, he would fall as he tried to stop or turn a corner, and he couldn’t jump on the couch like the others could.  After his failed attempts, he would sit with his head cocked to the side as if to say “How did you all do that?”  He would try and try and try… but he just couldn’t keep up.

 

As cute as he was, we knew that it would be difficult to find him a home with his handicap.  We made arrangements to have X-rays taken to see if the problem could be fixed.  What the Veterinarian discovered was most unusual.

 

Yahoo didn’t have a broken leg and never did.  He had a genetic defect– his patella (knee cap) was behind the knee instead of in front of it.  Also, the bones were twisted and didn’t line up exactly right.  This poor dog had spent his whole life with a malformed leg.  What Yahoo needed went beyond a simple surgery.  It would require the skill and knowledge of an orthopedic surgeon.  We were referred to a different Veterinarian who could perform the surgery necessary to correct the problem.

 

The X-rays were taken to the Veterinarian for an evaluation.  He said the surgery could be performed at an estimated cost of $500-$800! We were all heartbroken at the news. Where could we find the money to pay for his surgery?  We knew we had to find a way.  We just couldn’t let little Yahoo down.

 

An article was written in the newspaper telling the story of brave little Yahoo and his need for surgery.  We appealed to the public for donations to help us give Yahoo a new lease on life.  I was skeptical as to the response we would get– was I pleasantly surprised!!

 

Donation after donation poured in.  Some big ,some small.  Children even donated their allowance!  It warmed our hearts to see the community come together and root for little Yahoo.  He won their hearts over as easily as he had won ours. 

 

In a short time, we raised enough money for Yahoo’s surgery.  Preparations were made and the surgery was done.  It was more complicated than expected according to the Veterinarian, but with time, physical therapy and TLC, Yahoo would make a full recovery.  The wonderful people in the community  even sent Get Well Cards to

Yahoo to speed his recovery.

 

As fate would have it, there was a nice family that took a particular interest in Yahoo from the article that was written.  They lived in Winchester, KY and had Jack Russells of their own.  But better yet, they wanted to adopt Yahoo. 

 

After a short recovery period from his surgery, Yahoo (renamed Milo by his new parents) was adopted into their home.  He runs and jumps and plays with his other “siblings” and is learning how to use his new leg.  Thanks to the generosity of the community, Yahoo has a new perspective on life.

 

There are other “Yahoos” that come to our shelter from time to time.  Some have small needs, others have large.  Unfortunately, our limited funds prohibit us from addressing the problems they might have.  Through the inspiration of Yahoo’s story, we have set up a “Yahoo Fund”.  The money donated to this special fund is used to evaluate and treat adoptable animals with special needs that could not otherwise be treated.  To continue our efforts to place adoptable animals into good, loving responsible homes, we need your continued support.  All donations are tax deductible and can be mailed to: 

P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter

C/O Yahoo Fund

PO Box 222

Paris, KY 40362