3-month-old puppy is first dog to be treated courtesy of Cutie's Fund donations

Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle, seen here holding Cutie, said more than $7,000 in public donations have been raised in the first week since kicking off fund-raising efforts for Cutie’s Fund, an effort to help dogs that come into the pound with high-cost medical needs.

The first dog to be treated at the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office courtesy of donations to Cutie's Fund is a 3-month-old puppy with a severely fractured leg.

The small terrier-mix puppy, who the pound has named Cindy Lou Who after a Dr. Seuss children's book character, was found in a pile of garbage, said county Dog Warden Julie Lyle.

Dog warden personnel were pursuing another dog that was running at large when they came across the puppy, Ms. Lyle said.

"Besides the fractured leg, she also had bumps and bruises," Ms. Lyle said. "We don't know what happened to her but if she had been hit by a car, given her size, she probably wouldn't have survived. She might have been tossed out of a moving car."

The puppy was X-rayed at the Toledo Area Humane Society on Wednesday and will undergo surgery by Dr. Gary Thompson at West Suburban Animal Hospital, 3265 King Rd., Sylvania Township, on Friday, Ms. Lyle said. The surgery will include the insertion of a plate on the bone, she said.

After surgery, the puppy will be transferred by the pound to You Lucky Dog, one of the pound's rescue partners. She will need several weeks of recuperation before she can be placed up for adoption, Ms. Lyle said.

"We're really thankful to have the resources available to help this little girl get taken care of," Ms. Lyle said.

The Lucas County dog warden has raised more than $7,000 in public donations in the first week since kicking off fund-raising efforts for Cutie’s Fund, an effort to help dogs that come into the pound with high-cost medical needs.

It will help dogs like its namesake, a Chihuahua that was brought in during the middle of the night with a puppy lodged in her birth canal. The emergency-care bill for Cutie was more than $1,400.

The first $5,000 in public donations is being matched by Block Communications Inc., parent company of The Blade. The fund was seeded with a $5,000 donation from John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade, and Allan Block, chairman of BCI.

Of the donations received as of noon Tuesday, $4,722 was received by mail, $1,985 was donated online, and $175 was donated in person.

By contributing to Cutie’s Fund, animal lovers can make a tax-deductible gift to help with emergency and life-saving care and for the hospitalization of sick, hurt, or mistreated dogs assisted by the dog warden’s office.

Donations can be made in person or mailed to the Lucas County dog warden, 410 S. Erie St., Toledo, 43604, or online at tinyurl.com/CutiesFund. Checks should be made payable to the Lucas County dog warden with “for Cutie’s Fund” specified on the memo line.

Blade animal welfare reporter Tanya Irwin adopted Cutie from the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office via the department’s regular adoption process.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com, or 419-724-6066.