'He just needs love': Injured puppy in Sanford takes first steps, seeks forever home
An injured puppy up for adoption in Lee County is making progress and melting hearts in the process.
Dr. Julie Davis and the staff at Carolina Veterinary Hospital have been caring for Beans, a 7-month-old pitbull, since July.
Davis said Beans was left in a yard unsupervised for a few days and suffered a spinal cord injury after wrapping himself around a chain.
"That was his whole life. [Beans] was never indoors," Davis said. "My suspicion is that is was a pull-type injury on his spine or something happened that caused massive inflammation on the spinal cord itself.”
In less than three months, Beans has improved from having no reflexes in his hind legs to taking his first steps. Davis said he is chipper and motivated to walk normally.
"I see that he really doesn’t care that he is injured," Davis said. "He doesn’t let it get in his way. He wants to get up and move, but only so he can experience life more.”
Beans is a fixture at the front desk of the hospital, where he greets clients and other animals. He's even captured the heart of the FedEx delivery driver, Jennifer Deckard, who immediately started raising money towards buying Beans a customized wheel chair.
"It just broke my heart and I just do what I can do," Deckard said. "He deserves to be happy. He came from such a horrible past. He just needs love."
Davis says clients have helped, too, adding money to a donation jar and tacking on money to their hospital bills.
So far, $700 has been spent on food, toys, doggy diapers and other supplies.
Davis is hoping someone will soon find it in their heart to adopt Beans, giving him another chance at a good life.
"Just because he’s a little bit broken doesn’t mean he is not worth it anymore," she said. "If you've got the life and you've got the chance, reach for more."
The Southern Brotherhood Motorcycle Club is hosting a charity bike ride to raise money for Beans' recovery. The ride starts at noon on Oct. 26 at the clubhouse on Thomas Scott Road.
If you would like to follow Beans' journey, follow Carolina Veterinary Hospital on Facebook.
