'A Will To Live That Is Undeniable': Shelter Works To Save Injured Dog

MORTON GROVE, IL — A local animal rescue organization is asking for support to help care for what its founder described as the "most heartbreaking dog" she has ever encountered.

Wright-Way Rescue, 5915 Lincoln Ave. in Morton Grove, has rescued more than 65,000 animals since it was founded in 2002 by Christy Anderson, who said the entire team at the shelter has all fallen in love with a dog who was recently rescued from Oklahoma.

Merryn was attacked by another dog while they were both locked in a shed nursing puppies, leaving her with severe injuries that were aggravated by a lack of treatment, according to Anderson.

Her left leg is beyond repair, with several fractures and an infection. Her right ankle is also broken and has healed in such a way it can never support weight. Her jaw is broken in several places, with the bone dying.

Merryn learned to walk on her front legs to avoid pain caused by dragging her body along the ground, which left her with bone fragments in her knee.

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"The infection in the dying bones throughout her body is life-threatening and on the verge of causing systemic sepsis," Anderson said in a statement. "We’ve spent the last few days trying to wrap our heads around the gravity of her condition."

Merryn is set to remain hospitalized this week while receiving medication to fend off the infection with the hope that she may become a candidate for surgery.

"If we are successful, and her labs come back better, the emergency clinic will remove her badly broken and infected left rear leg and the broken and dying parts of her lower jaw. A feeding tube will be placed to support her nutritionally for 4 weeks while she recovers," Anderson said.

"We are still trying to understand how anyone could have allowed a dog to remain in this condition with no medical care."

According to Anderson, a veterinarian in Oklahoma had seen Merryn a week after the attack but the prescribed treatment plan — immediate surgery or euthanasia — was not followed.

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Wright-Way has also taken custody of the puppies remaining at the property and arranged for two dogs not surrendered by the owners to be spayed.

Although most dogs in Merryn's condition would be expected to be candidates for euthanasia, she has clearly not yet given up.

Wright-Way, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, has asked the public for donations to help cover the cost of Merryn's medical care and potentially multiple surgeries.

"Merryn has a will to live that is undeniable," Anderson said. "We are very thankful to you for allowing us to give her every opportunity to live the life she so deserves."