In January of last year, the adorable pup Charlie was hit by a car in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. To make things even worse, the driver didn’t even bother to stop and look after the dog, as he simply drove away.
Surprisingly, a hit and run on an animal isn’t always illegal and the driver was never reprimanded for actions.
Charlie was still alive, but was crippled and severely injured.
The dog was lying in the snow at the side of the road for hours until someone noticed the sweet pup on the ground. The person who found him was with someone else and they both took off their sweatshirts to keep the pup warm. They wondered why the dog refused to move but quickly realized that he simply couldn’t move at all.
A motorcycle rider who passed by noticed that they needed assistance and stopped. They immediately called for help to try and rescue Charlie’s life. He was taken to the Animal Hospital of Kannapolis where vets were able to stabilize the dog.
Although he was out of the woods, Charlie still was in need of medical attention.
It later became evident that the dog’s pelvis was completely shattered. Although his bruises and cuts were treated, a surgery to reconstruct his pelvis would cost $4,000 and with no owner in sight, Charlie’s hope for a good recovery started diminishing.
Luckily, one of the people who assisted in getting Charlie safe off the roadside shared the story about the pup, and a relative created a GoFundMe page so that they could crowdfund the amount needed for his surgery. It only took a couple of days before their target of $4,000 was reached. Over 180 people donated, most of them from the local community.
Charlie finally had a chance to live a happy life again.
Heather Russell, who works as a veterinary assistant at the animal hospital, was amazed by the response to help Charlie.
“Honestly I’m speechless. I love animals and I rescue but to have so many people step forward to help him has been amazing,” she said to The Dodo. “I can never thank everyone enough!”
The surgery went perfect and without any complications – and you can just see the adorable smile on Charlie’s face. He still needed to recover for a bit, but he was quickly walking and running around again.
“He’s doing great, recovering well!” Heather said. “He’s a fighter and he just wants to walk everywhere.”
Heather was also inspired by Charlie’s story and started a petition to tighten the laws regarding hitting animals with a car.
“It should be illegal to hit an animal and leave it to suffer. Many animal rescuers are willing to help and options are always available to get the hurt animal somewhere safe or humanely put to sleep.”
Charlie was once left for dead, but look at his huge smile now!
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