Molly – Kewanee, IL
ESRA Special Needs Springer
ESRA #2011-819 IL
Age: 2
Gender: Female
Color: Liver and white
Molly, as a two-year-old, has endured some treatment that most dogs could not have survived, much less overcome and still move forward with a happy outlook on life! When we first heard about Molly, the story was that she had been born with a congenital spinal defect and therefore "scoots" and "walks like a gremlin" but was evidently not in any pain. The owner wanted to relinquish her to ESRA because her horse farm was in foreclosure and she couldn't afford to keep her Springer. The Illinois coordinator asked for more information from the owner — photos of the dog, vet records and copies of her x-rays, information about the breeder, etc. — but with nothing forthcoming after the initial contact, ESRA could not hope to help Molly.
A week or two passed and all of a sudden a national pet bulletin board posted a little Springer who seemed to be in dire need of the kind of help only ESRA could offer. The story on this little girl was that she had been abandoned in a horse stall on a farm and had difficulty walking but was otherwise a wonderful happy dog. The new owners of the farm brought her to the local shelter, not wanting to keep her. Was this a coincidence or was this the same little girl named Molly?
An ESRA foster home dedicated to helping Springers with special needs made arrangements to bring the little girl to their home and got her to the vet the very next day. What the x-rays showed was heart-breaking. Molly had no congenital spinal defects. Her injuries were all traumatic, consistent with being kicked or trampled by a horse. She has a dislocated hip and multiple old healed fractures — hip, pelvis, etc. The vet said that the dog's injuries had been left untreated, and that she must have lived in agony. He doesn't know how she survived the pain. All the injuries appear to be old but had all occurred when she was an adult.
Today Molly is not only in ESRA's care but is the newest member of ESRA's Special Needs program. Our promise to her is that we will do whatever is within our resources and available medical help to give her a better life. She will need extensive surgeries and rehabilitation if we are to hope to give her a chance to improve her mobility and reduce her pain. The wish list for her is a long one. Dr. David Modder at Kewnee Vet Clinic made this preliminary list of her injuries:
- Left coxofemoral luxation (completely dislocated hip)
- Left sacroiliac luxation
- Right acetabular fracture
- Right ischial fracture
- Ligament damage to both knees
An appointment with specialists at the University of Illinois is scheduled in mid September. At that time we will have a recommended plan of care and report of estimated surgical costs. Luckily Molly has feeling and normal reflexes in both hind legs so she should be a candidate for a procedure like hip pinning that will greatly improve her quality of life. Meanwhile she is receiving the best of care in her foster home and is learning that life is not cruel at all but is filled with the joys of learning about toys, having a ready-made family of foster siblings that understand that "perfect" is not a word that any dog needs to be defined by as long as they are loved and secure.
We don't know what the future holds for Molly at this point, but we are hopeful that her life will be better with each passing day. She is one lucky little girl to have landed in ESRA's care. Please watch this page for updates to her story and help us make a better life for this happy little girl.
Contact: Anne Solak-Tennant at annesolak@yahoo.com if you want to hear more about Molly.
CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR MOLLY
| MOLLY’S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE: | |
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 Ray and Monica Smith |
Good luck, brave little girl! |
| Carrie Hughes Czajka |
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| Jerry Shurell |
In memory of Rinaldo |
| Alice Solak |
In memory of our dear spaniels, Mack, Katie and Chloe |
| Howard and Caryn Rigsby |
In memory of Darlin' |
| Sheila Weidner |
In memory of my Springer Buffy |
| Ruth Roy |
Just keep getting better and better. |
| Karl and Linda Lintz |
Sweet Molly - wishing you a bright new future that will one day be pain free and full of more love than you could ever imagine! |
| Michelle Eschborn and Sharon Corrigan |
We wish you the best |
| Heidi Thomas-Dunn |
In honor of the Illinois ESRA Team |
| Sandra Philipson |
In memory of Trini, my three-legged girl of Forever Home. I hope Molly is adopted into a wonderful family who will love her every day. |
| Janet and Denny Burkenpas |
In memory of Mandy |
| Anonymous |
In memory of Harvey's Elizabeth aka Liddy |
| Kathie A. Schilling |
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| The Goltz Family Revocable Trust
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| Anonymous |
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| Dee McLaughlin |
In memory of Aysha, Alfonso, Riley, Millie, Rosie and all other sweet Springers who lived to love. |
| Steve and Linda Tauscher |
In memory of Kayce, Copper and Mikey, our wonderful Springers |
| Marla Laabs |
In memory of Robbie Joe |
| Kristen Garbis |
In honor of Sadie Muffy Lou, the best dog that I have ever owned |
| Donna Frisk |
In memory of Misty, Cricket, Jenny, Ginger, Zack |
| Kathy Hess |
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| Alisa Runyan |
In loving memory of Scooter |
| Barb and Wilbur Hanselman |
In memory of our beautiful Paige |
| Tom and Dani Karbowski |
A gift for Walk and Judith Zwierzycki |
| Janet Koehnke |
In memory of Gumbeaux — With many thanks to ESRA in IL for taking care of my wonderful Winnie who I have had for more than 3 years now! |
| Kyle Kirkby |
In memory of Dixie Laverne — we miss our Dear Old Bird |
| Erin Krzanik |
In memory of Ginger |
| Missi Saas |
In memory of Sam, the Kichler family's beloved Springer who gained his wings 1/21/12 |
| Debera Thompson |
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| Jeanine Kerridge |
In memory of Daisy |
| Tina Schmidt |
In memory of Rylie — the positive energy in our home is not the same without her. |
| Laurie Olson |
In memory of Mitzi |
| Jeri Hurd |
Get better, Molly. You're a beautiful girl! |
| Mike Rohwedder |
In memory of Keno, Oney, and Footy. Good luck, Molly. I'll be watching your progress! |
| Kathy Hess |
In memory of another very special Molly 1993-2005 |
| Denise Garwood |
In memory of sweet little Sadie a special needs puppy in Missouri in 2007. Godspeed Sadie. 4-9-2012 |
| Denis Weber |
I'm originally from the East Peoria and now have 2 Springers....I was touched by your story and will be praying for Molly. |
| R. Lancaster |
In memory of Trevor |
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