Adoption starts for 1st beneficiary of Cutie’s Fund

Applications available for recovering puppy

Jane Huth, You Lucky Dog’s founder, and other volunteers are helping with the recovery of Cindy Lou Who, a terrier mix, at her rescue group.

The Blade/Lori King
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Jane Huth, You Lucky Dog’s founder, and other volunteers are helping with the recovery of Cindy Lou Who, a terrier mix, at her rescue group.

Cindy Lou Who, the first dog to be treated at the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office courtesy of donations to Cutie’s Fund, will be available for adoption on New Year’s Day, and applications from her potential new owners are being accepted now.

The 3½-month-old, terrier-mix puppy was found Dec. 4 in a pile of garbage on Yates Street near Mulberry Street with a severely fractured leg, said Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle. Dog-warden personnel were pursuing another dog that was running at large when they came across the puppy, she said.

The surgery to repair the leg included the insertion of a bone plate by Dr. Gary Thompson of West Suburban Veterinary Hospital, 3265 N. King Rd. The procedure and aftercare normally would cost about $1,600, but Dr. Thompson is giving the pound a 40 percent discount.

Cutie’s Fund, a donation fund the pound set up to aid dogs that need emergency care, allowed Dr. Thompson to give Cindy Lou the help she needed.

The dog warden’s office has taken in more than $28,000 since kicking off fund-raising Nov. 28 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 brought in during the middle of the night with a dead puppy lodged in her birth canal. The emergency-care bill for Cutie was more than $1,400.

The first $5,000 in public donations was 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.

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, injured, 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.

“Every dollar we raise is going to allow us to help more dogs,” Ms. Lyle said. “And any time we can help more dogs, it leaves me thrilled.”

Jane Huth set up this pen area for Cindy Lou Who at her Oregon shelter. Cindy Lou Who is the first beneficiary of Cutie's Fund.

After her surgery, Cindy Lou Who was transferred by the pound to You Lucky Dog in Oregon, one of the pound’s rescue partners, Ms. Lyle said. She has been recuperating nicely, said Jane Huth, the group’s founder and president.

Besides her leg being manually exercised by Ms. Huth or a volunteer four or five times a day, the puppy is getting plenty of exercise by playing with Colbie, a year-old female shepherd mix, and Prism, a year-old female hound mix, both of whom also are in need of homes.

Those interested in adopting Cindy Lou Who can fill out an application on the You Lucky Dog’s Web site, youluckydogrescue.com, call the rescue group at 419-691-1375, or email info@you-luckydogrescue.com.

The nonprofit, which has about 10 volunteers, relies on donations to survive, said Anne Schumann, on-site operations manager. The group just kicked off its annual fund-raising drive.

You Lucky Dog rescues about 25 dogs a year, the majority of which are from the Lucas County dog warden, Ms. Huth said.

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.