Success Stories

Bumper, January, 2000

In mid-January, a Lab Rescue person in the upper Midwest got a call on a Thursday night that "one of your dogs has been hit by a car" outside the kennel property. The rescue's kennel is on the property of a minimum security prison where a program called "Liberty Dogs" is run. Prisoners train the dogs to become service dogs for the disabled and the dogs who don't make the cut are adopted out to loving families. A check of the kennel where the rescue dogs were showed that all were in their runs safe and sound that night and no dog was found outside the prison grounds.

The next day dog handlers tried to track the bloody trail of the injured dog without any luck. Finally on Saturday morning a handler found "Crash" as he is now called curled up in a barn about 2 miles from the prison. He was found to have a large laceration on the right side of his chest as well as broken ribs, a ruptured ear drum and numerous cuts and bruises. Despite his pain he wagged his tail when the handler approached him and allowed the handler to carry him back to the prison grounds where they then sought veterinary help for the dog then nicknamed "Bumper".

Crash had to have surgery to repair the deep wound and skin grafting to cover it. There was also the concern that the wound might get infected so he was placed on 3 different antibiotics. No owner stepped forward to claim this sweet and gentle dog. Crash has recovered enough to enter into the prison's dog training program. Because he is probably 4 to 5 years old and now deaf in one ear from the accident, Crash will not qualify as a service dog. Once he has recovered and been trained a bit more one of the families on the prison's waiting list to adopt a "Paroled Pet" will be his new home.