Saving Sophie

During a busy Saturday afternoon earlier this month, a call came in to Dakin from an emergency clinic, alerting us about a three year old pit bull named Sophie who was having a difficult labor. She had given birth to a deceased puppy earlier in the day and then stopped laboring. “The vet alerted me to the situation, and said Sophie's person couldn't afford the procedure (emergency C-section) at the clinic. The only other option for Sophie there was euthanasia, so the vet asked if we had a surgeon that could help and do it at a lower cost,” recalled Technician Supervisor Mary Jane McGuire.

“I told the vet to tell Sophie's person to head to Dakin, and I could see if I could call in a surgical team,” she added.

Dr. Sherri Therrien, Lynn Sassi and Amber Lippman got the call and rushed to Dakin to help save the life of this sweet-natured family pet. The team went to work quickly, and while Sophie's two remaining pups were also deceased, the medical staff's expertise helped pull Sophie through a life-threatening situation. “It was awesome to have experienced medical staff that is able to handle this kind of emergency with such skill,” noted Mary Jane.

Several members of our adoption center team stayed late to help her as well, and Sophie came through her surgery with flying colors. After a brief recovery, she went home to her relieved and grateful family.

“I talked with Sophie's people, and they were so thankful that we were able to help,” said Mary Jane. “They adopted Sophie not long ago and the organization mistakenly told them she was spayed because she had a large abdominal incision.”

Dakin is here to serve a community in need, and to have been able to save this family's cherished pet and send her back into their loving arms was another of the many ways we work toward our vision of a world where services that support the human-animal bond are accessible to all, and companion animals are no longer vulnerable.