They call him
Harley, a search and rescue German Shepherd dog who has been part of the
Porter Fire Department for three and a half years helping his team find
missing persons.
Harley will undergo
surgery on Monday at the Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove, Ill,
as treatment for an apparent birth defect in his elbow referred to as
ununited anconeal process, according to Porter Fire Deputy Chief Jay Craig.
UAP, also known as
elbow dysplasia, occurs in dogs when a bony projection of the elbow fails to
unite with the ulna. If left untreated, Harley could develop severe
arthritis and lose his leg, Craig said at the Porter Town Council meeting on
Tuesday.
But with surgery,
Harley will be able to continue to work as a safety and rescue dog and live
a healthy life.
“He’ll be back on
duty in a few months, we hope,” Craig said.
The procedure will
consist of implementing a screw to fuse the bones together, Craig said.
Due to the high
cost of the surgery, Craig created a page on the crowdfunding website
Gofundme.com to use social media to attract donations.
“It was a way I
could blast it on Facebook,” he said.
The Town Council
which oversees funding for the fire department does not have to appropriate
any funds for the dog since Craig agreed that he would take responsibility
for the animal.
Harley’s surgery
will be paid for by the Porter Volunteer Firefighters Inc., Craig said.
Within a few hours
of Craig’s posting, almost half of the $3,500 goal was met.
The largest
donation came from the Discovery Charter School which generously pledged
$1,000 for Harley.
“I was very
overwhelmed by all that’s come in already. I appreciate all the support I’ve
been getting from the community. It’s been great,” said Craig.
As of this morning,
the GoFundMe page has reached $2,930 with 28 individual donors and has been
shared more than 375 times on Facebook.