In the late Summer of 2024, six Shepherd blends came to Helen Woodward Animal Center from Oklahoma. The pooches all had plenty of energy and a lovable nature. But one of them would arrive with an extra something special.
Caroline was just over 5-months-old when she first looked upon her new housing at Helen Woodward Animal Center. The kennels were big enough, the food was tasty, and the employees and volunteers were friendly. She would space, good food, and kind friends in order to recover from her condition. In her past life as a young puppy, Caroline had broken her left elbow. Unfortunately, she didn’t have access to a veterinarian, so it never healed correctly. This lead to a callus forming on her elbow which meant she couldn’t move it as far as other dogs.
Initially, the Center’s veterinary staff thought Caroline might have to have the leg amputated. Oftentimes callused elbows cause dogs an excruciating amount of pain. Removing the leg then leads to the pet having a better life.
But the Center didn’t want to make any rash judgements. Amputation is always a last ditch effort for worst case scenarios. If our medical team believes an orphan pet’s condition can be treated without removing any body parts, they’ll always pursue that path — regardless of the cost. So, the Center held off from performing Caroline’s surgery and instead kept her under observation to see if her elbow was causing her pain.
After a few weeks, the Center’s Animal Care Technicians reported that Caroline’s elbow didn’t seem to cause her any pain. She would take her weight off her left leg when she sat but other than that she looked and acted like a totally normal dog! The Center’s medical team decided that removing her leg would be needlessly cruel and cause unnecessary suffering. Instead, they made Caroline available for adoption.
It took Caroline a while to find a home. Her boundless playful energy turned away a couple of potential adopters who were otherwise enchanted by the Shepherd blend’s beautiful brindle coat and heartwarming story. The Center’s medical team made sure to check on her regularly to make sure her callused elbow wasn’t giving her trouble — it never did.
Shortly after the start of 2025 a family from Helen Woodward Animal Center’s backyard of Rancho Santa Fe came in and immediately fell in love with Caroline’s sweet and loving personality. They knew she was the missing piece to their home and took her home that very day. The Shepherd blend’s been living there happily ever after since.
