by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know, little did we know, that in accepting the intake of a young, very handsome male Malamute from another local municipality we would end up housing him for over a year and with medical bills exceeding $4000? Oddy (not my name choice) was impounded as a stray from the Town of Highland Falls by the Dog Control Officer. When he remained unclaimed, the DCO needed to find him immediate placement or he would have faced euthanasia. So in May, 2025 Oddy came to the Warwick Animal Shelter and made fast friends with the staff. His initial vet exam disclosed that he had bilateral Cruciate Ligament Ruptures in both knees which is tearing of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), the most common injuries to the knee in dogs. This ligament is like the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. Most dogs with this injury cannot walk normally and they experience pain. Left untreated the resulting instability damages the cartilage and surrounding bones and leads to osteoarthritis. Oddy needed Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgery which is orthopedic surgery on both knees. Weighing nearly 60lbs. and being in the shelter environment prohibited both knees being done at the same time. We were very fortunate that Dr. Brian Civatte of Country Willow Veterinary Hospital had just completed his orthopedic training and was willing and very able to perform the surgery. On June 27, 2025 Oddy’s left knee was successfully repaired. But his recovery required multiple leash walks only with exacting physical therapy which initially was icing the first week with gentle manipulation of the joints, followed by heat therapy the second week with continued gentle manipulation and then onto increased PT with stretching and when ready, going up and down a few steps and longer walks. All in all, it took about 6 months for his full recovery of his left knee. We postponed his second surgery during winter which allowed Oddy to enjoy this kind of weather rather than be cage restricted! 
With springtime came the time for his second TPLO. Now in his first week of recovery, he is truly dazed and confused with the necessary prescription medications to keep him comfortable and quiet. We padded his smaller kennel and “McGyvered” his water bucket so he could reach it with the massive cone on his head.
We have high hopes for Oddy’s full recovery with the excellent surgical skills of Dr. Civatte along with the special attention of staff to his prescribed physical therapy.
We accepted Oddy’s treatment knowing the overall expense but not knowing how we would be able to pay it. An interpretation of the words of Jesus is “when we show kindness to others, kindness comes back to us–Kindness begets kindness”. Our being “kind” in taking Oddy into our shelter amazingly brought to us an Angel who came forward and paid for Oddy’s surgeries. Now all that is left for us to do is find him his forever family as a fitting conclusion to Oddy’s Odyssey.
Pet of the Week:
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
