Dog Hit By Car ~ Helped by Good Samaritan

My dear friend, Alison, got herself in to a very unexpected situation. (Although, we'd like to look at it differently, that she was at the right place at the right time.)

On June 26th, while in her yard in Decatur, a dog (not hers) ran across the street on Lake Road and got hit by a car. Patty ran to help the dog and an older man that hit the dog, stopped. They could tell that his leg was broken plus there were other unknown injuries. Once the dog's owners were found, the man that hit him left the scene. He really was not to blame since the dog got loose and ran onto a 45 mph road.

They got the dog, Tyson, off to the side of the road. Patty told the owners, a 17 year-old girl and her 20 year-old boyfriend, that they needed to get him to a vet. They told Patty that they did not have any money to take Tyson to the vet. Patty was extremely concerned and felt if the 1-year old pup received proper care, he would survive this accident. In this state of emergency, Patty offered to help pay for the vet care. Her main concern was to get him the medical attention he needed. The owners did not even have money for gas so Patty gave them $100 for gas and whatever else they needed at that time...and she offered to help them with the vet bill. Patty knew that it would not be a simple $65 office visit and she was prepared to help with more. She actually figured it would be around $1,000. Not many people would be so kind.

Tyson was taken to an emergency clinic nearby where the owners were told that he needed major surgery which they were not equipped to perform. So he was transferred to a speciality clinic familiar with severe leg trauma. Tyson's leg needed plates and screws.

The initial cost estimate from the veterinary hospital was $3,500. In the meantime, Patty tried to work with the young owners and their families to see if any of them could get CareCredit to help with this large bill. The young owners were both denied but the mother of the female owner could get credit, but only $500.

The surgery was much more complex than first estimated. Plus Tyson' s extensive care included tests for internal injuries, x-rays, multiple medications and an over-night stay. In addition, because it was an emergency case on a weekend, that added to the cost as well. When all was said and done, the total bill for the vet was $5,200. That is on top of the $150 bill from the first ER clinic and the $100 cash Patty gave the owners . No one expected it to be that high.

Patty was torn as to what to do. If they left Tyson at the vet, the bill would just get higher. Payment in full is required before pet pick up and no way could the owners take this on. Patty drove the 75-mile trip each way to pick up Tyson, and she put the total bill on her credit card in hopes that somehow, she could recover a good portion of the cost. It's a difficult situation to be in. And I'm not sure anyone knows what they would truly do if they were in this predicament.

The bottom line is that Patty has a huge heart and truly cares about what happened to this pup, and as she got to know the young owners, she realized they were dealt a short deck when it came to role models and yet these young people are trying to create a better path for their futures. They are trying…both owners have jobs, the young girl has 2 part-time jobs; however, both are minimum wage and the hours are limited. The young man has a full time factory job slightly above minimum wage. They do not appear to be living above their means; they share a car and the young man doesn’t even have a cell phone. Although the owners are extremely appreciative of what Patty has done for them, it has become obvious that they cannot repay her or it will take an incredible amount of time and effort.

So I am setting up this fundraising page to help Patty recover some of the cost for her generous act of kindness. Yes, Patty was offering to help, but the costs became extreme, unexpectedly.

Although difficult for the owners to come up with any money, Patty is working with them to recover $500 over a lenient time frame because it is important they take part. The owners will also pay the $500 CareCredit.

I had waited to post this fundraising effort because we were waiting to hear back from the vet hospital to see if they could possibly take anything off the bill. They did agree to refund Patty $225. That brings the total out of pocket from Patty to $4,225. Still a huge, unexpected amount that I hope we can all help with. My wish is for Patty to recover $3,000 for her unconditional act of kindness.

Animal lovers, friends & family, please consider donating. Your support is greatly appreciated!