Shelter Tails: Three Dogs, Three Heartwarming Stories

By Mary Esparra
For the Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM – 03/27/09

In three short days, 1-year-old Nicolette went from being a stray dog with an agonizing broken leg to recovering from expensive surgery and the hope of finding a loving home. A chain reaction of caring people sprang into action the morning of March 7 after Mamakating Dog Control brought the pit bull mix to the Sullivan County SPCA.

“She came to us with a set of X-rays which showed a displaced fracture of the right hind femur,” said shelter Vice President Manon Fortier. “A displaced fracture is one where the two ends of the broken bone don’t meet, and in Nicolette’s case, they didn’t appear to even be in the same ZIP code!

“Despite her injury, Nicolette was gentle, happy and a real tail wagger. We knew we had to give her a chance.”

By the end of the day, fliers were being distributed to solicit donations to cover the cost of Nicolette’s surgery.

A shelter board member remembered a recent Shelter Tails about a dog with a similar injury being treated by the Veterinary Specialty Center of the Hudson Valley at a discount.

It was late Saturday, so a call to the VSCHV would have to wait until Monday. Nicolette was put on strong painkillers and made comfortable while she waited.

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