Saving Bindi

A female german shepherd mix was rescued in the east part of the county this week by a Hillsborough County Animal Services worker. The dog was the apparent victim of a gator attack and had lost part of it's front left leg. Roger Parker, the control officer was called out by people who had seen the dog limping around the area. Parker thought she was dead when he found her, but when he spoke, she opened her eyes and limped over to him. He rushed her back to the HCAS facilities, but they were unable to immediately deal with the dog's medical issues because of the nearly 100 sick and neglected animals they had already taken in from Seffner earlier in the week. A HCAS volunteer, Bob Reina, stepped in and offered to pay for the injured shepherd's medical bills. She was rushed to Florida Veterinary Specialists and surgery was performed. She was also found to have a broken jaw. She is said to be recovering nicely. The staff at FVS named her Bindi after the daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irvin. You can read more about this story at the Trib and the St.Pete Times blog.

So, how many people did it take to save Bindi? The people who saw her and called HCAS; The HSAS officer who took the time to find her, then went the extra mile when she couldn't get immediate medical attention and called on volunteers to help; the generous man who opened his wallet to fund her recovery; and the staff at FVS who amputated her leg, fixed her jaw and will see her through recovery. Now, just one more person is needed, and here lies the key to Bindi's happiness, someone to adopt and love her for the rest of her life.