02 January 2008

A Happy New Year, Indeed

123007Phoebe_Smith 002

Phoebe transferred on Monday to another clinic that does good quality orthopedic work at a reasonable cost. We'll be keeping in touch with them to sort out dealing with her expenses there. I last saw her on Sunday evening and got to speak to Mrs. Smith and her little girls. Even though she was hobbling around with a broken pelvis, Phoebe was wagging her tail and very happy to see her family. She even gave me a little kiss.

As I write this, current donations to help Phoebe are at $3751.77! You people seriously rock!Seriously huge thank-yous to Scout, Rabbitch, Wendy, Franklin, knitnzu, and anyone else I may have missed for putting the word out. I believe we may be able to cover most, if not all, of Phoebe's immediate expenses, though I'm not certain at this point if there will be any breakdown or additional surgery needed to address her soft tissue injuries. If there is any left over, it will most assuredly go into the clinic fund to help some other family in need.

And since a number of people have commented that they didn't have much to donate, I thought I'd share a little bit of info about the donations coming in. While there have been a few folks who have been able to donate quite a bit more, the vast majority of donations coming in have been $25 and under. The average (mean) donation is $20.39 and the median donation is $15. This is really a case of a lot of people giving just a little bit and making a huge difference.

When Phoebe left here on Monday afternoon, we also got word that Mr. Smith's condition was improving. His wounds were so severe, that doctors were afraid they might end up having to amputate one of his legs. When they took him back to surgery on Monday, they decided that they likely would not need to, which was very good news. I'm sure that he's got a long road to recovery and from the sound of things he may have some long-lasting effects, so it's especially nice to know that you have all helped to lessen this family's burden a bit. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

22 comments:

mehitabel said...

My cats sent a little bit. We had some major vet bills last month, so we know what it's like, and we're happy to help. Sending good thoughts to the Smith family too!

Daisy said...

I am so happy that Phoebe and Mr. Smith are doing better. Phoebe sure is a pretty doggie.

Unknown said...

Isn't it great when your something as potentially egotistical as a blog can do some good as well. I'm glad to hear Phoebe and the family are doing better. Thanks for putting the word out yourself.

Scoutj said...

You know I didn't even think twice to help you out. In a few minutes I will be putting Phoebe's picture up on my Flickr stream too to get that group of people involved as well. Thank you Mel for being one of the good guys. I'm glad we could ALL help them.
xo

Anonymous said...

Awww...she looks like Brian's dog who he brought home from Japan...remember the one who had a litter of puppies two days after the long trip? You were here then, in Oct 2000...then she was hit and killed by a car in Utah a few months later.:( Good job on Phoebe!
OOL

Carole Knits said...

I'm happy to help with a tiny bit.

Franklin said...

Yay! Thank you for the update!

Go, Phoebe, go!

Leslie said...

It's just like the Yarn Harlot says - we all understand that little stitches add up to big projects. Glad that my few little stitches were able to contribute to such a worthwhile project. Thanks for caring, Mel. It's the difference between a technician and a physician (because that's what you are).

Marlena said...

I finally clicked over to read about this after seeing it on Franklin's, Ellen's and Wendy's blogs. I wasn't able to even give the median amount, I'm afraid, since I have a rat going in for her second tumor removal in as many weeks, but I'm glad to see that even with my paltry $5, Phoebe's fund is doing great. :) And Phoebe looks great, too!

peaknits said...

Thank you so much for affording people this opportunity to donate for a pet friend. I am so glad to hear she is on the road to recovery as well as her human friend too! What an awful thing that has allowed so many of us to help. Thank you for being the conduit for that.

Anonymous said...

My daughter, Shanti, (Adventures in Paradise) sent me your message because I work with disaster search dog handlers all over the country. I made a donation and just sent it out to about 167 handlers countrywide. You should be hearing from some of them as well. Good luck to Phoebe and Mr. Smith.
Shanti's Mom

Anonymous said...

Oh what wonderful news! This has made my day!!! Once again, thanks for all you do for the little ones, Mel!
Jenny

KC and the Giggleman Kitties said...

Very good news. So glad both are doing well. Keep in touch especially if you need more donations or would like me to do a mailout.
Thanks for getting this important story out.
ML
(mlgigg AT sbcglobal DOT net)

Ruth said...

This is great news. Look at her lovely lab-y face!!! Thank you for getting Phoebe the help she needs. I was glad to be able to contribute.

knitnzu said...

OMG Mel, wow! I think this crowd is a generous one, and likely gives to many causes... and is happy to give a little more to another good one. Phoebe looks good there... and love her bad cat toy.

Norma said...

That is wonderful news! Sadly, today I learned that Vincent's liver enzymes are not looking good (I suspected as much) and we're going in for an ultrasound tomorrow.

Anne said...

Thanks so much for the update, and for being, as Franklin wrote, the St. Francis of southern Maine (although maybe he should have said New England). We sent a little from our cats & in memory of our dog Fenway. This is one of the great things about the Internet, to be sure.

Anonymous said...

This is really great news! Hope her daddy heals quickly.

She was lucky to have you playing on her team last Friday night!

Molly Bee said...

I'm just getting caught back up after being up in Island Falls, Maine for the holidays. I am IN LOVE with Tuck! What an absolutely adorable little friend. My big bruiser of a lab/boxer mix, Ben, says hello. Can't believe the hit and run story! You are an angel to get the funding and take care of poor Phoebe. You ROCK, Mel!

Tiny Tyrant said...

Dr Mel!

What's the total?

How's Phoebe doing?

How's her 'Dad' doing?

Let us know.

Anonymous said...

My little bit just was confirmed sent. Nice to see what a bit here and a bit there can add up.
Franklin and Rabbitch sent me.
Thanks for letting me know of the need.
Katrina

Jelaina said...

Glad to hear that things are looking up! Thanks for keeping us in the loop.