Ever since Stephen Foster lost his wife, his whole world revolved around his dog Ollie. The part-time maintenance man relied on his pet for companionship and love. The dog owner took her everywhere he goes, even to his workplace in a Dade City gas station.
One day, while Stephen was at work, his beloved pooch got into an accident that left her with a broken leg. She was at the gas station’s parking lot and a car passing by hit her. The distraught dog owner rushed his pet to the local shelter, hoping they could help.
Sadly, the staff told Stephen that he should just have Ollie put to sleep.
Guardian angels
One animal control officer saw how devastated and heartbroken the dog owner was. He talked to Stephen and told him not to lose hope. The kind officer would see what he could do to help Ollie.
The next day, Stephen received a call from the officer who asked him to go back to the shelter. There he met a veterinarian who told him to turn over the dog to her in the meantime. The shelter’s medical team took a closer look at the dog’s injuries and they discovered that aside from a broken leg, she had internal injuries as well. She needed surgery at the soonest time possible.
Thankfully, local volunteers and animal rights advocates pitched in to fund the operation. A local nonprofit organization also added more funds.
Road to recovery
Ollie underwent two operations. The first one was for her ruptured diaphragm and the next was for her broken leg. All the while, she had to stay in the shelter for observation. Stephen visited her every day and this visibly made the dog happy. This was most likely the reason she fought hard to recover from her injuries.
Barely a week after the dog’s surgery, she was released to her owner. The dog hadn’t fully recovered yet but she was strong and stable enough to go home. Without the efforts of the shelter staff, Ollie would have likely perished. Stephen is so grateful to all the kind people who ensured that his pet would get the best care possible.
Source: Pasco County Animal Services via Facebook
