When you first see photographs and videos of a three-legged black Labrador retriever puppy, you might feel sorry for Benjamin. It’s hard to look at the spot — very close to his hip — where his left rear leg was surgically amputated.
But if you look into his soulful eyes, you see a puppy who is happy, loving and friendly. In videos on social media, his tail wags constantly as he runs and romps with three adult chocolate Labs in his foster home in Heidelberg.
In January, a Facebook photo showed the same puppy lying in a deep ditch in rural Tuscarawas County, Ohio. His eyes are sad, and he appears to be in pain. But he looks hopefully into the camera aimed by Peggy Wagner, who found him. Her photograph, widely shared on her Facebook page, became his salvation.
The puppy, who was probably about 5 months old at the time, couldn’t walk because both of his hind legs were badly injured.
“He wasn’t crying when my husband Jerry and I talked to him,” said Mrs. Wagner, who called the county dog warden.
He was probably hit by a car, and his owner was never found. But a wide network of dog lovers came to his aid, donating almost $10,000 for his care.
“There is something special about this dog. Everyone who comes in contact with him wants to help him,” Mrs. Wagner said in a telephone interview this week.
Diane Furiga, a trustee with Lake Erie Labrador Retriever Rescue, saw and shared the Facebook photo and immediately began working to save him. The small Ohio-based rescue group currently has 22 dogs in its care, but the board agreed to take him.They named him Benjamin and in three days got enough donations through social media to pay for surgery and follow-up care.
Janet Nauer, a volunteer for the rescue group, saw Ben’s photo and offered to foster him in the Heidelberg home she shares with three Labs: Chocobake, 5, Ty, 4, and Jax, 3. One of the reasons she was chosen was her proximity to specialists at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center in Ohio Township.
The dog’s surgery was five hours long and cost more than $7,000. His right rear leg was badly broken and needed pins, wire and a plate to stabilize it. The left rear leg was worse and could not be saved.
Dr. Michael Doornink, the orthopedic surgeon who operated on Ben at PVSEC, said “he is a rambunctious Labrador retriever who is making a nice recovery. The bones are healing. The ladies caring for him are doing a good job.”
Follow-up care will include physical therapy and monitoring the condition of his hips as he grows and recovers. The right rear leg is healing nicely, as is a lower spinal fracture, Dr. Doornink said.
Ms. Nauer, a certified public accountant, knew she and other volunteers would need to take Ben to PVSEC for follow-up visits plus acupuncture and chiropracty, all funded by donations. Although she’s busy during tax season, she cheerfully took on the challenge of housebreaking the puppy and teaching him how to get along with her dogs, who love him. She’ll soon be taking Ben to training classes.
“It’s been a wild six weeks,” she said.
The hardest part was the four weeks after surgery when Ben had to spend much of his time in a crate while he healed. His vets recently cleared him to run and play with the big dogs.
“Ben has a big personality and a definite strong will,” Ms. Nauer said. “He has done well with everything he’s been through. Even when he was on pain medication he was like this.”
Inside his crate, Benjamin has a plush dog bed with memory foam that was donated by one of the hundreds of fans who follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Fans also send food and toys, and he plays with all of them, Ms. Nauer said.
Ben is smart and eager to please, and that has helped with rehab, she said. For weeks she carried him up and down steps, but just last week he mastered going up and down a short flight of steps to the fenced backyard.
He quickly learned to avoid hardwood floors because they are slippery. Ms. Nauer has put down many small rugs to help Ben navigate the house. Now 6 or 7 months old, he will not be available for adoption until sometime this summer after he is neutered.
Watch this sweet dog grow up on Instagram #BenjamintheBrave or @benjaminthebrave or on the Facebook page of Lake Erie Labrador Retriever Rescue, where you’ll also see other dogs available for adoption.
People can meet Benjamin at 2 p.m.on March 3 at the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. He’ll be meeting and greeting fans near the Children’s Village on the second level with Janet Nauer and me.
Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3064.
First Published: February 22, 2019, 1:00 p.m.