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ON A VERY HOT SUNDAY IN LATE AUGUST, A YOUNG COUPLE WAS TRAVELING BACK HOME TO PARRISH, FLORIDA AFTER VACATIONING IN GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE. ON I-75 SB AT ABOUT THE 44 MM, THE MAN THOUGHT HE SAW A DOG, OFF THE HIGHWAY, IN THE BRUSH ATTEMPTING TO STAND, BUT FALLING DOWN. HE TRAVELED TO THE NEAREST TURNAROUND AND BACK TRACKED TO THE AREA. HE AND HIS WIFE GOT OUT AND SEARCHED FOR THE DOG. THEY FOUND HIM LYING IN THE GRASS NEAR THE EDGE OF THE BRUSH. HE WAS JUST LYING THERE AND COULD NOT EVEN PICK UP HIS HEAD. THEY TOLD ME HE HAD THE LOOK OF AN INJURED ANIMAL GIVING UP THE FIGHT FOR LIFE. HE HAD OBVIOUSLY BEEN HIT BY A CAR, PROBABLY A DAY OR TWO BEFORE AS HIS LEFT LEG WAS SEVERELY SWOLLEN AND DANGLED WHEN THEY PICKED HIM UP. HE WAS ALSO SEVERELY DEHYDRATED. THEY SAID HE WAS SO OUT OF IT THAT HE DID NOT EVEN CRY OUT WHEN THEY PICKED HIM UP. THIS TERRIFIC COUPLE DID NOT EVEN HESITATE! THEY PUT HIM IN THEIR VEHICLE AND GOT OFF AT THE EXIT THAT LOOKED LIKE A TOWN AND CALLED EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR REFERENCES TO A LOCAL VETERINARIAN. THIS WAS CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE AND THE VETS OFFICE WAS THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER, IRONICALLY OPEN ON A SUNDAY FROM 1-4 PM. AFTER CAREFUL EXAM BY THE DOCTOR, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT HE HAD SUFFERED 2 FRACTURES OF THE PELVIS IN THE REGIONS OF BOTH ILIAC CREST AND A BROKEN FEMOR IN THE LEG. THE DOG WOULD NEED SURGERY TO PLACE A PIN IN THE FEMOR OF THE LEG, 6 WEEKS OF COMPLETE REST TO ALLOW THE PELVIS TO HEAL, THEN ANOTHER SURGERY TO REMOVE THE PIN. THE COST OF HOSPITALIZATION AND SURGERIES WAS COST PROHIBITIVE FOR A DOG NOT THEIR OWN, ALONG WITH THE REHABILITATION, AND SO IT WAS DECIDED TO EUTHANIZE THIS POOR PUP. HE WAS A MALE GOLDEN RETRIEVER MIX, ABOUT 8 MONTHS OLD AND NEVER CRIED OR TRIED TO BITE EITHER HIS RESCUERS NOR THE DOCTOR DURING HIS PAINFUL EXAM. HE WAS A VERY SWEET DOG IN A SITUATION SOMEONE HAD PUT HIM IN THAT WAS NOT HIS FAULT. A MEMBER OF THE ARK OF CLEVELAND WAS AT THE CLINIC THAT DAY AND HAD HEARD OF A DOG HIT BY CAR COMING IN. SHE SAW THE PINK DEATH SHOT WAS BEING PULLED UP AND ASKED THE COUPLE IF THEY COULD PAY FOR TWO NIGHTS OF BOARD SO SHE COULD CALL THE HAND FOUNDATION AND SEE IF THEY WOULD TAKE HIM AS ONE OF THEIR BENEFACTORS. SHE EXPLAINED THAT HAND STOOD FOR HELPING ANIMALS NEEDING DOCTORS. THE HAND FOUNDATION TOOK IN ABANDONED OR STRAY ANIMALS NEEDING VETERINARY ASSISTANCE, PAID FOR THEIR CARE AND FOSTERED THEM UNTIL A PROPER FOREVER HOME WAS FOUND FOR THEM. HE WAS SUCH A SWEET DOG SHE JUST DID NOT WANT HIM TO DIE BECAUSE OF THE HORRIBLE PERSONS WHO HAD DUMPED HIM OR HIT HIM. THE COUPLE AGREED TO PAY FOR TWO NIGHTS BOARD AND PAIN MEDICATION FOR HIM. HE WAS PROMPTLY NAMED FREEWAY. THE ARK MEMBER CALLED THE HAND FOUNDATION THAT NIGHT AND ASKED FOR A RETURN CALL AFTER BRIEFLY STATING HER PLIGHT TO AN ANSWERING MACHINE. MONDAY MORNING A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE HAND FOUNDATION RETURNED HER CALL AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD BE GLAD TO HELP THE DOG WITH HIS VETERINARY AND MEDICAL BILLS, BUT THAT THEY WERE FULL IN FOSTER CARE AND SO COULD NOT TAKE HIM ON AS A RECIPIENT OF THEIR GOOD WILL. THE ARK MEMBER ASKED IF THEY WOULD HELP HIM WITH HIS MEDICAL EXPENSES IF SHE WOULD TAKE HIM IN FOSTER CARE UNTIL HE WAS WELL AND FIND HIM A GOOD HOME. SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE WAS WITH THE ARK OF CLEVELAND AND DID FOSTER CARE FOR THEM. AND SO IT WAS DECIDED THAT FREEWAY’S LIFE WOULD BE SPARED! THE HAND FOUNDATION WOULD PAY FOR HIS MEDICAL CARE AND THE ARK MEMBER WOULD DO HIS REHABILITATION AND FIND HIM A GOOD HOME WHEN HE WAS WELL ENOUGH. AFTER CALLING THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER AND ADVISING THEM TO GO AHEAD WITH FREEWAYS’ SURGERY AND GIVING THEM THE INFORMATION FOR BILLING THE HAND FOUNDATION, EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE FALLING IN PLACE FOR POOR FREEWAY.
WELL, THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. ON THE SAME MONDAY MORNING, ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER, THE COUPLE FROM FLORIDA WHO HAD PICKED HIM UP CALLED THE ARK MEMBER TO CHECK ON FREEWAY AND TOLD HER THEY HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH
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THIS BRAVE LITTLE DOG WHILE TENDING TO HIM IN THEIR VEHICLE AND AT THE CLINIC. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO KEEP HIM FOR THEIR OWN. I EXPLAINED THAT THE HAND FOUNDATION WAS PAYING FOR THE INITIAL SURGERY AND THE PIN BEING PUT INTO HIS LEG, BUT THAT THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER SURGERY REQUIRING THE REMOVAL OF THE PIN. HE STATED THAT WAS OKAY, THAT THEY COULD PAY FOR THAT AND ANYTHING ELSE FROM THERE. SO THEY PICKED UP THE BILLS AFTER THE INITIAL PIN PLACEMENT SURGERY AND ANXIOUSLY AWAITED BEING REUNITED WITH FREEWAY. THEY CALLED THE ARK MEMBER A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK AND SHE VISITED WITH FREEWAY KEEPING UP HIS SPIRITS. AFTER THREE WEEKS OF HOSPITALIZATION, THE DOCTORS RELEASED FREEWAY TO THE ARK MEMBER AND SHE DROVE FREEWAY DOWN TO WHERE I-75 AND I-10 MEET IN FLORIDA. AT A CRACKER BARREL ON I-10, FREEWAY WAS REUNITED WITH HIS NEW, VERY ANXIOUS AND HAPPY DAD! FREEWAY HAD TRAVELED DOWN ON TWO DOWN FILLED AND VERY SOFT SLEEPING BAGS DONATED BY A VERY NICE ANIMAL LOVER AS HIS PELVIC FRACTURES WERE STILL NOT HEALED. FREEWAY WAS TRANSFERRED INTO HIS NEW DAD’S SUV AND THEY BEGAN THEIR 4 HOUR DRIVE HOME TOGETHER. A PHONE CALL FROM THE HAPPY COUPLE CAME A DAY OR SO LATER. THEY WERE ECSTATIC AND HAD FALLEN IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN WITH FREEWAY. INCIDENTALLY, HE WAS NOW LYING ON THEIR BED. I JUST LOVE A HAPPY ENDING!!!
RESCUERS AND NEW OWNERS: BRIAN AND RENEE NUMKOSKY
ARK MEMBER: ARLENE FAIRES
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