AR-News: (OH - US) Gifts give disabled dog new way to get around

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Article published Thursday, March 11, 2004

Wood County: Gifts give disabled dog new way to get around
Robin Hicks, her husband, Rick Hicks, and their daughter, Katie, 1, walk their disabled dog, Cookie, through their neighborhood in Bellevue, Ohio. 
( THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH ) 


By RACHEL ZINN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The money kept rolling in to help Cookie get wheels.

The Wood County Humane Society collected almost $3,300 in donations from Wood and Lucas counties’ residents to help Cookie, a mixed-breed dog with a degenerative nerve disorder. The agency spent about $2,000 to pay for a wheelchair and veterinary care for Cookie.

"It was the first time we had gotten a dog a wheelchair," said Chasity O’Neill, a Humane Society spokesman. "We’ll do whatever we can do to help an animal get better."

The Humane Society first heard of Cookie in early summer when a resident called with concerns that the dog was being abused by her owners.

When the agency investigated the home where Cookie lived in the Bowling Green area, they found that she was being kept on a short chain inside a flooded doghouse, Ms. O’Neill said.

Cookie’s owners were concerned they couldn’t protect her from being tormented by neighborhood children, so they decided to surrender their pet to the Humane Society.

"There was evidence that kids were using Cookie for paintball practice," Ms. O’Neill said. "She had essentially lived like that her whole life. She was about 7 years old."

Cookie was healthy when she went to live at the Humane Society’s shelter in Bowling Green, but after a few months, staff members started noticing her back legs were wobbling.

Veterinarians examined Cookie and found that she had a nerve disorder that would eventually make her unable to use her back legs.

"They thought the best option would be a wheelchair," Ms. O’Neill said. "She could live a good life. She just needs a little help getting around."

The Humane Society publicized Cookie’s plight through local media in the hopes of receiving some donations to defray the medical costs. More than 90 people from Wood County and the Toledo area gave money to help Cookie.

"I was overwhelmed and very touched that there were so many members of the community who cared," said Esther Fabian, Humane Society board president. "We were all pleasantly surprised."

The donations allowed the Humane Society to take Cookie to the veterinary school at Ohio State University, where she was tested for other ailments and fitted for her wheelchair.

In addition to lending financial support, more than a dozen people contacted the Humane Society to adopt Cookie. About three weeks ago, Cookie moved to Bellevue to live with Rick and Robin Hicks and their children.

Mrs. Hicks is a stay-at-home mom, so she can strap Cookie into the wheelchair and go for walks several times each day.

"She’s a very, very strong-willed dog," Mrs. Hicks said. Everybody loves her, and she gets lots of attention. She’s part of my family now."

Contact Rachel Zinn at rzinn at theblade.com or 419-724-6050.