http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...dlines-volusia
This man is dog's best friend
An unplanned task puts a man off-schedule and on the highway, where he saves a stray canine hit by a truck.
Tom and Becky Murphy recently became proud owners of their first dog, but the adoption process was a little unusual.
On April 14, Tom Murphy stopped his car to help a bird that looked as if it had been hit by a car. After he left the bird with someone who would care for it, he was back on his way.
It was then that he noticed a dog running in and out of traffic on Interstate 4, and had to swerve to avoid hitting it.
When he checked the rearview mirror, he saw the dog being struck by a tractor-trailer. Murphy immediately pulled off the road and worked his way back to the injured dog.
"I just couldn't imagine what kind of shape this guy [dog] was going to be in," he said. More often than not, wounded animals feel threatened and attack would-be good Samaritans.
Fortunately, the male German shepherd mix gave Murphy no trouble when he loaded him into his car, then dropped him at Orange County Animal Services on Conroy Road.
After visiting him the next morning at the shelter, Murphy and his wife decided to take him to a vet themselves. The couple then transferred the dog to Aloma Jancy Animal Hospital in Oviedo, where they paid for him to undergo surgery.
The dog, which the Murphys named Gonzo and is estimated to be between 7 and 11 months old, had suffered a broken pelvis, a dislocated leg and lung contusions. The injuries were in addition to other health issues, probably as a result of poor care, including heartworms and tapeworms, Murphy said.
The Murphys said they are grateful to Dr. Greg Murray and the rest of the Aloma Jancy staff for their help caring for Gonzo.
"I can't even begin to say enough good things about them," Becky said. "I would sit in the kennel with him and study for my exam," Tom Murphy said. He recently graduated from Florida A&M law school.
Gonzo is healing about a month ahead of schedule, to the surprise of his doctors.
"He couldn't walk at first," Becky Murphy said, "but about two days after the surgery, he was walking."
Adding a dog to the family hasn't been easy, though. Aside from the cost of surgery for Gonzo, the Murphys have been living off Becky's salary as an office administrator while Tom studies for the Bar exam.
They also had to move out of their condo because it did not allow dogs.
The vet tab and the extra housing costs, including the additional rent and security required to break their old lease and move into a new apartment that allows pets, means the Murphys have invested more than $4,000 in their new pup.
"It's been tough, but we've managed to figure it out," Tom Murphy said.
Thankfully, Gonzo gets along with the family cat, Furio.
"He, actually, is in charge," Tom Murphy said, eyeing the cat.
In the midst of all the recent adjustments, the Murphys were also happy to learn that Becky Murphy is pregnant with their first child.
"Wouldn't change a thing," she said. "No regrets at all. We would regret it if we had done anything differently."
Tom Murphy said that he doesn't consider himself particularly religious, but he considers it serendipitous to have first found the injured bird, which set back his schedule for the day, bringing him down I-4 at the time Gonzo needed help.
"I've always wanted a dog, and now I have one," Murphy said. "He found us."
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