The Lancaster resident was visiting a gift shop near Ephrata last month, when she spotted Trudy, a dog with a broken hind leg, sitting in someone’s yard across the street.

“Then she crossed the driveway and came over to me,” Gibson said. “She looked like she was in terrible pain. It felt like a scene from a movie, really, and the dog had singled me out.”

The self-described animal lover said she then made a point of talking to the dog’s owners.

“They said she was hit by a car,” Gibson said. “And I said something needed to be done. I was just concerned for the animal.”

Gibson went home and eventually asked the Humane League of Lancaster County to look into the situation.

The following week, one of the League’s Animal Cruelty Officers removed the dog, and the League is now investigating the former owners to determine if they’re guilty of animal neglect.

Joan Brown, the League’s chief executive, said the shelter tried to help Trudy, a springer spaniel, but the dog’s condition worsened.

“The dog had (gone) so long without medicine or proper care, the leg couldn’t be saved, and a serious infection had begun to spread,” she said. “Eventually, we brought the dog into the care of Smoketown Veterinary Hospital, where they helped her.”

Thursday, Trudy had her hind leg amputated and began recovery at the veterinary hospital. Saturday, the springer spaniel was taken to her new home, where she will live with Gibson.

“We renamed her Molly,” Gibson said. “My granddaughter and I decided she should have a new name for a new life.”

Brown said the dog would have died if Gibson had not volunteered to pay for some of the dog’s medical expenses, which include a cast, surgery and antibiotics.

“It’s one of those horrible situations we come across maybe half a dozen times out of the year,” Brown said. “We receive an abused animal, take care of it, then realize it has extended medical problems.

“In the beginning, care may cost around $200, then later, you realize the animal needs at least $2,000 in additional care just to survive,” she said. “That’s a horrible, heartbreaking situation, because sometimes we can’t afford to continue care — since we’re already responsible for about 13,000 animals in a year.”

Brown said many people consider the cost of feeding and sheltering the animals but overlook the medical needs the League must deal with.

“Luckily, when we go to the community and tell an animal’s story, someone usually helps us out,” Brown said.

Gibson, who last year took in a cat from a construction site, said she’s just sorry the dog suffered for as long as it did.

“When the infection set in, Molly was in trouble,” she said. “But now she’s OK and getting around fine, like she doesn’t know the leg is gone. She’s still on medication, and I’m trying to keep her calm.”

The dog has to wear a funnel around her head to prevent her from licking her stitches. Molly also receives care and affection from Gibson’s daughter April, granddaughter, Veronica, and mother, Cindy.

“Right now, Molly is always inside, unless she has to go to the bathroom,” Gibson said. “And she can’t go up the stairs, so we block those. She’s doing a good job at balancing herself. And despite everything, she’s still faster than me.”

Gibson said finding Molly was one of the best things to ever happen to her.

“Molly couldn’t speak for herself, so I did it for her,” she said. “She’s such a sweet dog, she deserves the best care possible.”


Carla DiFonzo’s e-mail address is cdifonzo@lnpnews.com.