A call for help on Craigslist may have saved Daisy's life.
Update: 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22
After surgery, Daisy has returned home. Local donations have helped pay for several of her procedures, according to the Facebook page "Saving Daisy."
Update, Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The woman who rescued this dog is still working to find out how much her second surgery will cost. She posted this comment on the facebook page committed to saving daisy:
"Daisy is doing very well this morning! She is now able to stand up! Also she is still being treated for her dehydration and worms. Dr Miller said she may be able to come home in a few days and rest before her next surgery in about a week. We are still receiving a ton of donations, hopefully we will be able to give everyone a total later tonight! Thanks again you guys are truly amazing!"
Update, Tuesday, Februay 8, 2011
Daisy underwent her surgery and is doing well, but the vet made a disturbing discovery. There is an additional problem with her leg that will require more surgeries.
ConnectmidMichigan.com users and Saving Daisy fans on facebook donated the $1600 needed for the dog's first surgery. Mary Schaap, the woman who took the dog in for help after she was found, says she will talk with the vet about cost on Wednesday.
Monday, February 7, 2011
A call for help on Craigslist broke Mary Schaap’s heart.
Someone posted the ad Saturday evening, saying he or she knew someone who saw a skinny Boxer tied up at the corner of Branch and Carpenter in Genesee Township for hours.
That person, according to the post, went back to check on the dog and found it had gotten lose. Several people tried to catch her, but the frightened dog wouldn’t come to anyone.
“She does not seem aggressive and would much rather run than come at you, but when she's cornered she does bark to keep people at a distance,” the anonymous poster wrote. “Who knows what she's been through even before she was abandoned to freeze to death. I'm worried about her in this weather.”
Schaap couldn’t forget the ad. She and her daughter went to action. They drove from their Flushing home to the intersection in Genesee Township, hoping to save the dog.
They searched with Genesee Township Police. After about an hour an officer found the dog seriously injured, hiding under a tree.
She was malnourished, had worms, and one of her legs had two fractures.
“You can tell it is painful, but she is still the sweetest dog,” said Schaap as she pet the dog.
Schaap said she would take the animal in and try to nurse it to health until a permanent home could be found. She named the dog Daisy.
“It takes some solid trauma to cause this type of a fracture,” said Dr. Christian Miller, a veterinarian at the Westwood Veterinary Hospital in Flint after he examined Daisy.
He said he couldn’t be certain how the dog suffered the injury. It is possible she was hit by a car, but given her neglected state he fears someone abused her.
“It doesn’t look right,” said Dr. Miller.
“You can see every bone in this dog’s body. How long had they not fed this dog?” asks Schaap.
Dr. Miller told Schaap he could save Daisy’s leg with a lengthy surgery, but the treatment is costly. Schaap didn’t have the money, but didn’t hesitate. She was determined to give Daisy better days.
Schaap and her daughter created a facebook page titled, “Saving Daisy.” Within hours it had hundreds of fans. People heard about Daisy and several came forward with donations to go towards pay for the almost two thousand dollar operation.
Schaap says the response restores her faith in humanity.
“There are bad people in the world who hurt a dog like this, but seeing the community come together, seeing people offer their hard-earned money to help a dog they’ve never meant. It shows you people can be good.”
Genesee Township Police would like to know who Daisy's original owners are. If you recognize this dog, you're asked to give them a call.
