On January 15, Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary received an urgent call from local animal control regarding a dog with a mangled leg. The control officer had originally contacted a vet, but they suggested euthanizing the one-year-old pup. Unwilling to do that, the officer reached out to Mackenzie’s.

Mackenzie’s specializes in pulling dogs from other shelters who might be euthanized due to medical issues or overcrowding. This dog needed immediate care. Aside from being emaciated, part of his back leg had been torn off, possibly from getting caught in a hunter’s trap.

Mackenzie’s staff stayed late into the evening, giving the dog the help he needed. As the rescue’s licensed vet tech prepared the necessary equipment to alleviate the dog’s pain, other staff began offering him small amounts of food and water.

“We all had the same vision,” Autumn Russell-Huber said, Mackenzie’s general manager. “He was going to make it, he was going to heal, and he was going to find a loving forever home.”

They named the dog, Vision. The sanctuary started Vision on IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain medication. Given the amount of suffering the dog must have been in, his behavior was remarkable. He allowed staff to look at his leg, handfeed him, look at the sores around his mouth, and place the IV in without incident.

Mackenzie’s then called Family Friends Veterinary Hospital in Grand Rapids. The hospital was able to get Vision in the next morning, and they removed the injured leg up to the hip. The day after the surgery, he was walking on his remaining legs without any issues, and he returned to Mackenzie’s for further care.