Shelter Dog Gets a Second Chance For Christmas
Marcellas (submitted photo)
Oskaloosa, IA, December 21, 2015- When “Marcellas” arrived at the Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter (SMAS) as a stray, it was clear that she didn’t have the best start in life: one of her back legs was so severely broken that it was hanging lifeless at the side of her body. While it wasn’t clear how Marcellas had broken her leg, or how long her leg had been broken, one thing was for sure: Marcellas needed vet care. After a visit to a local veterinarian, it was recommended that the broken leg be amputated, a surgery that comes with a hefty price tag.
While all of the veterinarians in town support the animal shelter and are always willing to provide veterinary care at a discounted rate for shelter pets, the cost of Marcellas’ surgery was still too much for the SMAS to afford on their own, so the shelter started to look at the options for Marcellas. “Marcellas is a young dog with a very sweet temperament and a lot of love to give. We owed it to her to try our very best to find a way to get her the surgery she needed to live a life free of pain.” says Lindsey Sime, Executive Director.
The SMAS has a special fund called the “Molly Medical Fund” for shelter pets like Marcellas who come to the shelter requiring extensive veterinary care, but unfortunately, those funds had already been used to help animals in need earlier in the year. Luckily, there was still an option for Marcellas. The SMAS reached out to national foundations to try to secure a grant to cover the costs of Marcellas’ surgery, and the Petfinder Foundation came to the rescue. Within a week of reaching out, the PetFinder Foundation notified the SMAS that they would be sending out a check for $500 to cover the full cost of Marcellas’ leg amputation surgery. Last week Marcellas had her surgery and she is now on the road to recovery. “Thanks to the Petfinder Foundation’s quick response, we were able to give Marcellas a second chance. She may only have 3 legs, but that won’t stop her from doing everything a dog with four legs can do” says Sime. After Marcellas recovers from her surgery, she will be ready for adoption, and several families have already expressed interest in adopting her. “We couldn’t ask for a better Christmas gift for Marcellas”, says Sime.
The Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter serves Mahaska County, IA and takes in almost 1,000 stray, abused, neglected, and unwanted animals annually. They rely on private donations from the community to raise money for their Molly Medical Fund to help homeless animals requiring special veterinary care. For more information about donating to help replenish the Molly Medical Fund you may contact the shelter by phone: (641) 673-3991, email: smasadoptions@mahaska.org, or by visiting their website: http://www.stephenmemorial.org
