Animal lovers raise $10K to save puppy's broken legs after owner wanted to put him down
Animal lovers raise $10K to save puppy
A puppy's broken legs nearly cost him his life. If a pet owner can’t afford surgery, euthanizing the animal is an option, even if the injury is treatable. However, animal lovers in Brevard County couldn’t let that happen to this injured pup. Cody is on the road to recovery because two women raised thousands of dollars to save his life in a matter of hours.
PALM BAY, Fla. - A puppy's broken legs nearly cost him his life.
If a pet owner can’t afford surgery, euthanizing the animal is an option, even if the injury is treatable. However, animal lovers in Brevard County couldn’t let that happen to this injured pup. Cody is on the road to recovery because two women raised thousands of dollars to save his life in a matter of hours.
Earlier this month, an RV pulled into the parking lot at the Malabar Country Veterinary Clinic because Cody had broken his legs. They wanted to put him down, but Cody’s life was spared because the community came together.
"I cannot watch a puppy get euthanized; I just, I can’t do it," said Crystal McClung, Cody’s foster mom, who also rescues wild animals with her nonprofit, Crystal’s Critter Care.
She is also a vet tech at the clinic at which Cody was left. She knew she couldn’t let Cody die when he ended up in her arms.
"He fell off the bunk on the top of the RV," McClung said. That’s what the owner told the vets when they tried to euthanize him. "Both his legs were broken all the way through both bones."
The pain was agonizing for the 10-month-old Australian Shepherd mix, but his former owner didn’t have $10,000 to fix his legs. That’s when Jacque Petrone stepped in to help.
"We’re not going to euthanize him, so we’re going to figure it out," the founder of H.A.L.O. Rescue said.
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She figured it out fast, posting Cody’s story on GoFundMe and raising the money for his surgery in 24 hours. She runs a no-kill shelter and is constantly fundraising to help animals in need across Florida, like Cody.
"I just can never see ending a life for something that’s treatable, just due to finances," she said, thinking about how she’s been saving animals for nearly 20 years.
Cody may be crippled for now, but at least he’s alive because the duo stepped in to save his legs and spare his life.
"The wins make the losses a little easier to deal with, and this is a major win," McClung concluded.
Cody is still recovering. It will take about 16 weeks for both legs to heal, but soon, he hopes to find a new "forever" family.