Party for Eleanor “Ellie” Roosevelt’s first year anniversary in loving home!
A few days ago, we visited Eleanor “Ellie” Roosevelt to celebrate her one year anniversary in her adopted loving home!
On Thanksgiving Eve 2007, Ellie was hit by a car on the FDR Drive in New York City. Her back legs were paralyzed, hip was dislocated and she almost went into shock. But thanks to donations to Shelter Showcase, and the dedicated love and hard work of Dr. Karen Dashfield, along with donated physical therapy time from Canine Aquatics in Randolph, NJ, Ellie is now walking AND running!
This video shows Ellie seeing Dave, one of the two Shelter Showcase volunteers who rescued Ellie, for the first time since she was hurt. Ellie isn’t always fully comfortable around new men, but she seems to have a special warmth for this rescuer!
ORIGINAL STORY:
Little Eleanor Roosevelt is a tan and black mixed breed dog weighing about 35 lbs and found Thanksgiving Eve on the FDR Drive (Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive) in New York City.
A compassionate NYPD lieutenant helped protect the dog from running back into the road by parking his police cruiser in a position to protect the dog and tying a loose rope around her.
We entered the on-ramp to the FDR Drive around 10pm and spotted the cause of the traffic backup onto the highway – an injured dog sadly bent over in pain protected by the police cruiser with the NYPD lieutenant nearby who had tied a loose rope around the dog to ensure she didn’t run back into traffic. We stopped and asked if there was anything we could do.
Bryan Kortis, the “Head Cat” of Neighborhood Cats in New York City (a small and effective national organization promoting Trap Neuter Return) directed us to the closest 24 hour emergency hospital. I spoke to the dog, knelt by her side and slowly reached out to pet her under her chin, which she accepted willingly
A police officer helped us move the scared and injured dog into our vehicle. On the way to the hospital, she slowly moved from the back of the SUV to be as close as possible to the people in the front. Even injured and in pain, she wanted to be as close to us as possible. Dave realized her name: “Eleanor” because she was found on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive! As the minutes ticked by, Eleanor seemed to be more stressed. Her breathing worsened, and we knew we needed to reach the hospital quickly.
The veterinarian explained Eleanor’s injuries may include spinal or hip fractures which may or may not improve with surgery. She may also have internal bleeding. The vet would need to begin with costly diagnostics in the form of initial x-rays. The cost would start at $1000 and if the dog could be saved, the bill would rise to $2500, not including costs of surgery or following physical therapy if needed.
David and I both reside on the Board of Shelter Showcase, a small non-profit in New Jersey dedicated to helping people and pets. The entire organization runs completely on volunteer staff and donations from the public. We asked ourselves the hard questions. Did we have enough funds to help this dog and is this where our donors want their money spent? We knew this is where our donors want the money spent – to truly save a life of a stray dog in need. But can we raise the additional funds needed?
Dave donated $500 on the spot to help pay for the initial diagnostics and the remainder was exactly the amount in our new fund for special needs medical situations donated by our volunteer, Thorne Delaney. The vet reported there was no hip fracture, but the hip was dislocated and there was no mobility in the back legs which may indicate a spinal fracture. With some nerve response in the paws, the neurologist was hopeful and suggested running a CT myelogram. This will tell us whether expensive surgery is needed or if the dog can be stabilized without surgery to allow a spinal fracture to heal.
The CT myelogram is expensive, but worthwhile and scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, Nov 23). If surgery isn’t necessary, then Eleanor will be moved to Dr. Karen Dashfield’s care initially, and then moved to Eleventh Hour Rescue for long term care, physical therapy and adoption placement. If surgery is needed, we’ll need to make the difficult decision if $4000 can be raised for this surgery. We have a no-kill, trustworthy rescue group (Eleventh Hour Rescue) committed to taking the dog, so it seems a shame to give up on the dog for the simple price of $4000.
Will you help us make this decision? We want your thoughts, opinions … and your financial support if you think we should move forward to save Eleanor.
Eleanor was rescued on Thanksgiving Eve. Let’s all be thankful for the animals we can save and the care we’ve been able to give Eleanor so far. She is no longer alone on the side of the road, and she is not waiting to die in a shelter cage that doesn’t have the resources to treat her nor the staff to humanely put her down on a holiday. Instead, she is at a prestigious hospital with many people considering her care and caring for her at this time, with the hope that she doesn’t need surgery, and the potential funds to provide this care if needed.
