Injured Dog 'Langdon' Has New Lease On Life Thanks To Chester Rescue Group

CHESTER, NJ — With less than three hours to spare before he was scheduled to be euthanized in a North Carolina county shelter, “Langdon,” a dog believed to be about five-years-old, has a second shot at life and is on his way to Chester.

NJ South Hills Pet Rescue learned of Langdon’s plight recently, after Second Chance Pet Adoptions in North Carolina contacted NJSH Pet Rescue, said Donna Polizzi, a spokesperson for the Chester-based group.

Polizzi said time was short and volunteers at the shelter the day before he was planned to be euthanized on Oct. 24 “felt he deserved another chance,” calling Langdon, “very gentle and sweet.”

With a health challenge that Langdon has been battling, not putting weight on one of his rear legs and dragging it, an x-ray showing multiple fractures, Polizzi said. A dog like Langdon, she added, rises quickly to the list to be euthanized, with most shelters throughout the country currently at capacity.

“Very few people or even rescues will take this issue on as it is so expensive to treat,” she added.

No one knows why Langdon’s leg has such extensive damage, but Polizzi said it could be that he had been struck by a car or has an old injury that he never healed from.

NJSH Pet Rescue was given a day to attempt to find a foster and speak to their veterinarians, a vet in North Carolina suggesting amputation if he was saved. Polizzi said that while he could live “a fine life as a tripod, we wanted him to have the opportunity to keep his leg.”

Polizzi said the group spoke to both Dr. Andrea Freeman of Martinsville Veterinary Hospital and Animerge’s Dr. Roxane Collins, two vets they consulted with who reviewed Langdon’s x-rays, each believing his leg is salvageable.

It was then that NJSH Pet Rescue made their final life-changing decision for Langdon.

“On Sunday it became clear to us that they would euthanize this sweet dog so we pulled him into rescue at 2:37 just ahead of his 5 p.m. euthanasia,” Polizzi said of that day, Oct. 24. “We had only a video for our vet and no foster but we took a chance that things would work out.”

The picture NJSH Pet Rescue received of Langdon, which Polizzi said was from his "freedom ride," as he was leaving the shelter with time to spare, shows the dog with an energetic expression, almost as if he's smiling.

Representatives from NJSH Pet Rescue plan to meet with Second Chance volunteers this coming Monday, driving to meet one another to transfer Langdon to NJSH Pet Rescue’s and Dr. Collins’ care, who Polizzi says has an appointment lined up for Langdon this coming Tuesday.

The anticipated cost of his surgery is estimated between $3,500 and $6,000, Polizzi said, with NJSH Rescue Group planning to fundraise for it.

In the meantime as the fundraiser details are in the works, Polizzi said NJSH Pet Rescue representatives are looking forward to meeting Langdon on Monday.

“Thankfully he will recuperate with one of our board members for several weeks until we can find a permanent foster home for him,” Polizzi said.

For more information about NJSH Pet Rescue visit their website at www.njshpetrescue.org.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.