Dog Hit By Car Gets A Second Chance Hours Before He's Scheduled To Be Put Down
TUSTIN (CBSLA.com) — A stray dog scheduled to be put down after being hit by a car is getting a second chance at life.
Volunteers from the Bichon Rescue Brigade picked up Maverick from an Orange County shelter after a July 3 collision left him with multiple fractures.
Sam Park, a veterinarian known to discount his services for animals in need, offered to help.
He operated on Maverick at Anaheim Animal Care in July, giving him bone plates and pins. It was a three-hour surgery that required more than 50 sutures. The operation came not a moment too soon.
"Maverick was on doggy death row. Within hours, he would've been put down," Park said.
Two months later, not only has Maverick healed, he is running and jumping.
And just last week, he was placed in a new home, forming an extraordinary bond with a boy facing challenges of his own.
"It was love at first sight. Maverick was perfect for them and they were perfect for Maverick," pet foster mom Jessica Ley said.
Two young brothers now have the joy and responsibility of caring for the pooch. Jake is eight and big brother Ryan, who has autism and is high-functioning, is 12.
Their mother, Kristina Montgomery, says the family couldn't have found a better pet.
"This has been a great fit with Maverick because he really brings that calm. Ryan will lay with him on the bed and just stroke him, and it's really, really soothing to him and really brings Ryan to a nice comforting place, too," she said.
For more information about the Bichon Rescue Brigade, visit the organization's website.