DOGGED WILL
Pooch chews off part of leg, but he lives
A GERMAN shepherd has a new leash on life, thanks to the staff at a Brooklyn animal shelter.
The bleeding, severely injured pooch was found tied to the door of an Animal Care Centers of NYC facility on Linden Blvd. in East New York at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Animal Control Officer Feraz Mohammed spotted the bigeyed shepherd as he went into work.
“The dog was tied to the fence in front of the shelter,” Mohammed said. “The dog was friendly and approachable, but when I called the kennel attendant, I saw the blood on the floor. His leg from the elbow was missing.”
It turns out the animal gnawed off part of its own hind leg after the extremity atrophied.
From what shelter staff can see, the dog — now called Buddy — was badly injured after he lost circulation in his lower leg and paw. The culprit appears to have been a wire that was wrapped around his hind leg just above the ankle.
The 1-year-old puppy was immediately rushed into surgery. Vets repaired his leg as best they could.
Further surgeries will be needed and Buddy may have to have his entire hind leg amputated, said Animal Care Centers Medical Director Robin Brennen.
But for now, he’s on the mend, she said.
“I’m sure he’s going to make a full recovery,” she said.
Animal Care Centers officials do not know if Buddy was abused, but someone did bring him to their facility, and may know what happened to him.
“People bring animals to the facility all the time, but they rarely just leave them outside, especially ones that are injured,” Mohammed said. “Hopefully he is going to go to a good home.”
Animal Care Centers cares for thousands of stray animals a year. The agency has hit the ground running in 2018 by facilitating 100 adoptions in the first week of January alone, officials said.