The Girard police called with a sad report; they had a six-week-old puppy that they needed a BYC representative to pick up from their station because his mother had been hit by a train. Rose went out that cold night to pick this poor fellow up, and Rachel picked him up from Rose the next day. He was a ball of anxiety, which was very understandable considering what he had been through. The chunky puppy was a rottweiler/mastiff mix and it was apparent that this little guy was going to grow into a very large dog. The foster home named him Lindy Ruff, after the Buffalo Sabres hockey coach when the Sabres went to the playoffs as underdogs. It was apparent that this little puppy was going to have to be a fighter, just like the Sabres had been that year.

The foster home didn’t have him long before they realized he would not run like a typical puppy. He was far more content just lying around. It didn’t take long to see he couldn’t control himself on the outside deck or inside on the hard floors. He would slip and his back end would go out from under him. Eventually, it was obvious poor Ruff was in significant pain after even just short walks. He would cry and struggle just to stand up and it got significantly worse with each passing month. The veterinarian suggested waiting until he was more mature to try diagnostics because of growth issues. Ruff was started on baby aspirin, chondroitin, and glucosamine. He needed aspirin to even go for short walks because of the pain he was experiencing.

Finally, Ruff’s pain got bad enough that diagnostics could not be delayed any longer, even though he was still growing. He had just turned one year old and was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia, bad enough that he will need total hip replacements for both hips. Such a severe case is practically unheard of in a dog this young, but Ruff definitely needs surgery as soon as possible to relieve the pain he has lived with for his entire life. Anything less than total hip replacements will not give him legs that he can walk on.

There are no vets in the Erie area that can do a surgery of this magnitude, so Ruff’s foster home will have to take him to Ohio State Veterinary Surgery Center in Columbus, Ohio. The hips will have to be replaced in two different surgeries because one has to heal before the second hip is replaced. The good news is that once the hips are replaced, Ruff is expected to have a full and successful recovery. If money can be raised for this necessary surgery, Ruff will be pain-free for the first time is his life.

Your contribution to The Franklin Fund will help pay for Ruff's surgery and for other seriously injured animals. You can make a donation online or by sending a check to Because You Care, Inc., PO Box 54, McKean, PA 16426. With your help, BYC can continue to save the lives of animals that will otherwise have to be euthanized due to lack of funds.