Boomer was saved from the Leavenworth Animal Control Shelter on September 7, 2006.
 Left behind by an uncaring family at just one year old, Boomer has a birth defect on his left front leg. He can get around but it is obvious he is uncomfortable, in pain and Furry kids just wants to make his life better. He is so deserving, so sweet, loves other dogs and people and even cats! He will make someone a wonderful companion some day.
On February 22, 2007 we arrive home from Denver where we visited Dr. Taylor at the Alameda East Veterinary Hospital– home of the Animal Planet’s Emergency Vets TV show. We have some very exciting news!
Boomer qualifies for a procedure that will give him a new leash on life. Dr Robert Taylor is the only veterinarian in the world doing this procedure and Boomer will be the 6th dog in the world fortunate enough to receive this type of help! While we were there, they did the CT scan on Boomer’s front leg. That data is going to a company that will construct a 3D model of his humorous which another company will use to manufacture and implant that will be inserted into the bone. That process will take 2-3 months, we will return to Denver in May when Dr. Taylor will amputate Boomer’s leg above the elbow and insert the implant. We will then come back to KC to give him time to heal from that surgery and then go back to Denver a month or so later for Dr. Taylor to permanently attach a prosthesis that will act as Boomer’s forearm and foot. Boomer will then be able to bear weight on his front leg and run and play just like a normal dog – finally able to be “a dog”.
 We do have one unexpected event to deal with. We found out that Boomer has a torn cruciate ligament in his knee which requires another surgery (see TPLO) to fix. This injury is extremely painful for Boomer and the surgery needs to take place as soon as possible so that he has time to recover from that while the implant is being constructed – before we go back to Denver in May. This surgery will cost us an extra approximated $2500.
Most exciting is that Dr. Taylor is donating his time and the surgery itself – he has a true sense of volunteerism when it comes to waif dogs like Boomer and has helped many rescue dogs during his career. We do still have to pay for the implant and prosthesis themselves, which will cost us approximately $4000.
We know some people might think it strange to spend so much money on one dog when so many others could be saved with that amount, but it’s part of the Furry Kids Refuge mission to help special needs dogs just like Boomer. We have spent thousands in the past on special needs dogs and are sure we will do the same in the future.
In total for the TPLO surgery on the knee and the work to be done at Alameda, we are going to need to raise over $6000 for Boomer. We had already raised $1000 but spent that on this week’s visit to Alameda, the x-rays and CT Scan. This will be our biggest project to date and we are so excited to be able to be a part of such an amazing and cutting edge procedure. We are just honored to be able to work with Dr. Taylor.
While we were there, Channel 9 (NBC) in Denver came to the hospital and interviewed Dr. Taylor and myself and got some great footage of Boomer. (read the article...) They did a wonderful excerpt on the evening news about us coming all the way from Kansas City with Boomer the rescue dog.
Update 3/4/07: Check out Boomer on FOX4!
Also, Heddie Ledger with MOKAN Pet Partners Therapy Team would very much like to train Boomer to be a certified therapy dog once he has recovered from the surgeries. What that means is that Boomer will assist and help children and adults who may be in the same predicament he is now. This is an amazing opportunity for both Boomer and Furry Kids to make a difference in the lives of disabled humans! Read more about Boomer's plan and about becoming a certified therapy dog.
AMOUNT RAISED AS OF 6/12/07 - $4300!
Update 3/8/07: The Leavenworth Times highlights Boomer's story and his future plans!
UPDATE 3/15/07: We met with Dr. Lineberger at Mission Med Vet for our initial consultation visit. Dr. Lineberger (right image) examined Boomer thoroughly and scheduled the TPLO for Tuesday the 20th. Boomer will be able to go home with his foster family (see image below) on Wednesday. Keep an eye out for updates after his surgery and also keep an eye on FOX4 - you'll probably see an  update by Tess Koppelman!
UPDATE 3/21/07:
Boomer had his TPLO knee surgery at Mission Med Vet. All went well and Boomer is recuperating with his foster family. In a couple of weeks, we'll go back to have the staples removed and start him on a physical therapy regimen to further aid his recovery while we wait for his implant to be ready in Colorado! Thank you to Dr. Lineberger with Mission Med Vet for taking such good care of Boomer and donating his time!
UPDATE 4/8/07: READ ALL ABOUT BOOMER'S FUTURE PLANS!
UPDATE 4/19/07: BOOMER FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE A COMPUTER - CHECK IT OUT!
UPDATE 6/12/07: Boomer continues to do well and has recovered nicely from the knee surgery - we are just waiting to hear from Alameda East Vet Hospital that they are ready for us with the implant and we'll hit the road to Colorado! You can meet Boomer at our Applebee's Flapjack Fundraiser June 30th or at our adoption events on Saturdays! Read more about Boomer's future plans and about becoming a therapy dog.
UPDATE 7/28/07: Lee's Summit Tribune features Boomer's funds and our youth volunteers on July 27, 2007. ....And, Boomer passed his Canine Good Citizen Test! more details soon.....
UPDATE 8/14/07: Boomer Becomes a Canine Good Citizen...
Boomer was observed by Canine Good Citizen evaluator Heddie Leger completing all ten of the criteria to obtain the CGC. A dog does not have to be registered or purebred to take and pass the evaluation. The CGC is a good way to help young people learn how to become good citizens, and more responsible pet owners, by helping their pet pass the Canine Good Citizen Evaluation. Once a dog has passed a special collar tag and patch can be ordered. Each passing participant receives an official certificate of congratulations from the AKC.
The CGC consists of ten simple obedience, and proper etiquette exercises that most dogs can master with the help of their owners. They are:
1) Accepting a friendly stranger - will sit quietly while handler visits with another person
2) Sitting politely for petting - stranger interacts with and pet dog, dog should remain sitting
3) Appearance and grooming - dog is clean, nails clipped, ears clean will allow brushing
4) Out for a walk - walks calmly with handler, sits when stopped, and has loose leash
5) Walk through a crowd - dog demonstrates he can walk calmly in a crowd of people
6) Sit/down stay in place - handler will sit/down dog give stay command, leave and return
7) Come when called - handler will sit dog/give stay command/walk away/call dog
8) Reaction to another dog - dog will walk calmly by, not lunge, will sit by side of handler
9) Reaction to distractions - dog will show that it does not chase moving objects, or become overly agitated with strange noises. Calms immediately down, if agitated.
10) Supervised separation - handler will leave dog with strange person for three minutes. Dog should be calm, can sit, down, walk, do anything, but not lunge, cry and bark.
In addition to passing the CGC, Boomer passed a temperament screening. He showed that he would leave an object if told to. He demonstrated non-reactive behavior when another dog came over and took a rawhide chew he had in his possession, and allowed strangers to touch his body, including his leg which is the cause of his physical challenges. Boomer is a very intuitive dog that shows willingness to please, a tenacity to survive, and the ability to adapt to many different people and circumstances. He far surpasses any test that life has dealt him, and continues to amaze everyone with his stable temperament
UPDATE 12/18/07: Please take a moment to read the Jackson County Examiner article written by Debbie Coleman-Topi. Just another couple of months and we should be headed to Denver for his surgery!!
|
SPECIAL NEEDS FURRY KIDS 
