Culprit Ties 13lb Metal Anchor to Dog’s Neck and Dumps Him in River

The stray Doberman's spine was severed, but surgery and physiotherapy have Spencer back on his feet and prepared for adoption.

Everybody loves a cute dog video, but the primary images Jackie O’Sullivan saw of Spencer the Doberman weren’t cute — they were a cry out for help.

“He seemed like he’d been snapped in half,” the co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC (RDRNYC) recalls.

The videos captured Spencer looking impossibly bent and understandably sad after being brought into a South Carolina animal shelter on Jan. 4. Shelter staff knew this dog needed resources they didn’t have, so many miles up the East Coast , Jackie’s phone began lighting up with notifications.

When she checked her messages, she found two videos of the emaciated, presumably purebred fawn Doberman.

"They asked if we could take him, and that i said yes," she explains.

Jackie learned Spencer had been eating road k.i.l.l on the interstate when he’d been hit by a car. He was then delivered to the shelter, where staff quickly surmised that this wasn't the primary bad day in 1-year-old Spencer’s life.



His badly home-cropped ears and scarred body told the story Spencer couldn't - his rescuers wondered if he’d run from a lifetime of a.b.u.s.e only to be hit on the highway.

"They got him over to our vet [in the area], which is named Paws and Claws in Columbia, South Carolina, and that they could immediately tell that his back was broken," Jackie recalls. "His only hope was to urge to a specialty hospital, in order that they sent the X-rays over to a neurologist, so he went over there an equivalent day."

The vets of VCA Animal Specialty Center of South Carolina had some excellent news for Jackie. Because Spencer was so young and will still feel his legs, he was a superb candidate for a surgical repair of his severed spine. There was some bad news, too, though: He had a stomach filled with bird bones threatening to perforate his gut, and open wounds on his head and legs needed stitching.



The secondary concerns couldn’t be addressed until Spencer’s spine was stabilized. The surgery needed to happen immediately and would cost thousands of dollars. Jackie knew Spencer was worthwhile .

"He looked broken half, but he had a robust will to measure . He was giving kisses, he was eating,” she says. “He had every reason to measure ."

While Spencer was on an table in South Carolina, his pictures were being uploaded to the RDRNYC Facebook page, where dog lovers were as shocked by the pictures as Jackie had been. Well wishes and donations began pouring in, and by the time Spencer was off to physiotherapy , he had his very own Facebook page.



"So many of us wanted to understand about him, he actually crashed our website," says Jackie.



In the days after his successful surgery, Spencer seemed determined to urge back on his feet. His doctors were pleased to ascertain the dog was wanting to get to figure in physiotherapy , and even more pleased when X-rays revealed his body was safely passing the road k.i.l.l bones. He wouldn’t need an operation on his stomach.

Two weeks into his hospitalization, Spencer was transferred to West Hills Animal Hospital & Emergency Center on Long Island , where RDRNYC can keep a better eye on him as he continues with daily physiotherapy .

According to Jackie, the sole thing Spencer seems to enjoy quite his physiotherapy sessions is twiddling with toys. He’s been gifted with many them, and having his own playthings has brought out the puppy in him.

Over the past month, Spencer has progressed from walking in sling to walking on his own, and Jackie says he’s getting stronger a day .

Although he still requires tons of physiotherapy , Spencer is now able to take subsequent step in his life, and RDRNYC is accepting adoption applications. Jackie can’t wait to ascertain him walk into his forever home.

"He's a young, happy, otherwise healthy, great dog. he's able to have an excellent life."