On Saturday a brown pit bull that pedestrians at the corner of 108th and Central in Los Angeles once ignored because they thought he was dead, has become a social media favorite with over 5600 "likes" and over $17,000 raised towards his medical recovery. The dog named "Philly" by three LAPD officers who rescued him, continues to heal and his Facebook fans have no intentions of letting him down.
Philly's tragic story began on Jan. 10 when he was hit by a car and left for dead on the sidewalk; that is until three LAPD officers walked by and noticed the malnourished dog with his ribs sticking out just lying there and thought he was hungry. The kind and compassionate officers went to the corner taco store and bought the dog meat and water, but when they returned Philly had not moved at all and cried in pain as he tried to get up to eat.
Upon closer examination, the officers noticed the dog's left front leg was swollen and made the decision to take the dog to Advanced Vet Care for treatment. As one of the officers picked him up, Philly wagged his tail knowing that these were the people who were finally going to help him. He had been lying on the sidewalk in excruciating pain for five hours.
At Advanced Vet Care, Philly was diagnosed with a severely broken left front leg and two fractured ribs, however the dog had a microchip, and off the officers went to find Philly's owner to tell them what had happened. Sadly, the owners didn't care and told the officers to euthanize the dog.
The story could have ended at that point, but Philly's fate was to take an extraordinary turn for the better and to become a symbol of compassion, kindness and the lesson that pets are not disposable.
According to nbclosangeles, Officers Jennifer Cohen, Cindy Herrera, and Valerie Lancaster, who head the Southeast Division's Jeopardy Program are Philly's guardians and promised the vet they would raise the funds for the dog's surgery. An artificial elbow was implanted with screws and pins. Philly's surgeon also removed large plastic pieces from the dog's stomach; Philly had been eating anything he could find because he was so hungry.
And now Philly is making remarkable progress as his three foster parents continue to lavish him with love and affection. At this time Philly is reported to have an upper respiratory infection which is being treated, but his latest report from his Facebook page states:
"Philly got some "phlair" today during his vet visit. He's had a runny nose for the last couple of days and has had a little trouble breathing. The doctor wanted to do an X-ray and get a fecal sample. He's got a bit of an upper respiratory infection but should be fine. He's got some meds, some nose drops and will be doing some "doggy sauna" to help keep his airways moist."
You go Philly, and your canine readers are sending your foster parents lots of wet doggy kisses.
If you would like to help support Philly's recovery, please click here.
If you would like to continue receiving the latest news on pet issues and how we can help those who cannot speak, please click the "Subscribe" icon.
Follow the National Pet Rescue Examiner on Facebook by clicking here. Please visit and "like" my page. You are welcome to submit story ideas by contacting me at cdhanna9703@aol.com.
Comments