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When the emergency clinic staff first saw Moose, they thought he may have gotten in a fight with a bear. His wounds were too violent, too destructive to have been caused by just a dogfight.

He’s not just a big boy – a Mastiff/Pyrenees/ Komondor/Anatolian Shepherd mix, weighing in at more than 100 pounds. He’s also a sturdy guy, with a big body that had been ravaged and thick legs, one of which was snapped in half.

He arrived at Kitsap Humane Society as a referral, because his left front leg was going to have to be amputated and the bill was going to be in the neighborhood of $10,000, which his family simply didn’t have. Despite the fantastic initial work done by the other clinic’s staff, the options for Moose were limited – and would be much more so if KHS wasn’t a possibility.

As time ticked by, we were getting more information about Moose’s exploits. Let’s just say he had quite the Valentine’s Day. Neighbors reported that he paid a visit to his girlfriend and then tangled with a couple of other dogs. That explained the wounds. Next, we discovered that he’d also been hit by a car not long after. Thus, the broken leg. He was in rough shape, but he had good people looking after him, and a family that wasn’t about to give up.

Our own Dr. B stabilized the leg to prevent additional pain before anesthesia, and a sedated Moose was rolled onto a table. It took three doctors, and one was in real danger of being crushed. The surgical area was shaved by vet techs. It wasn’t a good-looking haircut, but style was the least of Moose’s worries. And he wasn’t the only worry in the clinic. While he was prepped for his operation, staff buzzed around the Lifesaving Center, getting X-rays for a dog and removing a cancerous growth from another, while two cats were getting ready to be spayed. There was a lot going on.

Meanwhile, Moose was wheeled into surgery at 1:13 p.m., as three vets and two technicians stepped in to help, tagging in for each other when Moose’s soon-to-be-missing leg became too heavy to hold.

During the surgery, the doctors traded stories about school and previous operations that shaped their experiences. There’s a camaraderie among them that comes from a shared love of animals and a shared knowledge of things like “brachial veins” and “distal ties.” Throughout it all, they’re amazingly calm and working in perfect rhythm.

An hour and 20 minutes later, the leg had been removed and Drs. B and Meisha were tying off vessels and removing a battery of clamps. Shortly after, Moose was in recovery, ready to go home that very night.

It was a tough recovery, as a dog of Moose’s size relies heavily on his front legs. But after some difficulty in getting him to take his meds, he was on his feet – one leg lighter, but back with the family who refused to call it quits.

It’s just another story about how Kitsap Humane Society keeps families together – and it’s all due to you.

Thank you to everyone who has donated during the Kitsap Great Give and thank you for your ongoing support. Give love, give hope, give today.