Humane Society of Summit County raising money for dog’s life-saving surgery

TWINSBURG, Ohio (WJW) – The Humane Society of Summit County is asking for the community’s help to give an injured dog a second chance at life.

Brownie, a one-year-old Chihuahua-terrier mix, has been struggling to survive due to serious injuries to his spine and nerves.

“A good samaritan found Brownie early April wandering the streets,” Humane Society of Summit County Director of Operations Kristin Branagan said. “We believe Brownie was possibly hit by a car, we’re not quite sure. The good samaritan acted quickly, thankfully, and went to Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital with the injured stray.”

Shelter Veterinarian Melisa Kauffman said Brownie has been crawling with his front legs, unable to use his back legs due to the presumed accident.

“When he came to us, he had some broken ribs; his left front leg had a nerve injury,” Kauffman said. “His spine in the very back aspect had a fracture which caused the spine to be malaligned.”

The Humane Society quickly realized Brownie would need surgery to give him a second chance at life. Brownie underwent successful surgery earlier this week but faces a long road ahead.

“There will be a lot of physical therapy for him,” Kauffman said. “He’s going to need a lot of assistance over the next couple of weeks. And just to get him able to move again and then to get his strength back up.”

The surgery and course of treatment will cost upwards of $10,000, so the Summit County Humane Society is taking donations to cover the medical costs .

“We all know the power of the Summit County community,” Branagan said. “A $5, $10 donation can change a life and will save the life of an animal here in the county.”

As of 3 p.m. on Friday, the campaign has surpassed $9,100.

Brownie has a long road ahead of him, but Branagan is happy to know the dog has another shot at finding a loving family.

“This boy has gone through so much and it has never stopped how sweet his soul is,” she said.

If the fundraiser exceeds the goal Branagan said the extra amount will go toward helping other animals at the Humane Society.

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