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Girl saves stray dog's life with baby-sitting wages

Heidi Bell Gease, Journal staff | Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008 11:00 pm | (0) Comments

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buy this photo Emily Thies, 14, poses with Optimist Prime, a chihuahua that recieved a $500 donation from Thies to have his left hind leg amputated after sustaining serious injury. Thies hopes the small dog goes to a good home. "Just one where the owner will love him and spend time with him," she says. Optimist Prime is at the Humane Society on East St. Patrick Street. (Photo by Kristina Barker, Journal staff)

It didn't look good for the tiny dog.
Hit by a car on West Main Street in Rapid City on April 21, the little Chihuahua was picked up by a passer-by and taken to Humane Society of the Black Hills. A veterinarian said the dog's badly injured back left leg needed to be amputated.
But shelter staff had just managed to scrape together enough money to pay for another amputation, that one involving the leg of a stray cat that had been shot with a shotgun. There wasn't any money to pay for another surgery.
But luckily for the little dog, there was Emily Thies.
Emily has always loved animals.
"She would have rather had a stuffed animal than a doll any day when she was little," her mom, Betsy Thies, said. "And she does a lot of animal-sitting, whether it's dogs, cats, geckos, frogs."
So it didn't surprise Betsy much when Emily, 14, said she wanted to pay for the Chihuahua's surgery, even though it meant using $500 she had earned baby-sitting and pet-sitting.
Emily has always been generous. In addition to volunteering her time, she has consistently given pet food and other items to the shelter, particularly at Christmas time. Betsy said she is also trying to buy bulletproof vests for police dogs used at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
"I was just so sad. I just had to do something," said Emily, an eighth-grader at Southwest Middle School. "Before they even said anything (about needing money) I was going to pay for him."
Emily, her mom, and her brother, Jacob, 11, all volunteer at the Humane Society, mostly walking dogs. They heard about the Chihuahua - who has since been named "Optimus Prime" by shelter staff - from a neighbor who also volunteers at the shelter.
The Thieses went to see the dog, who was extremely friendly despite his injuries.
"Even with a limb that wasn't working, he was just a happy little thing," Betsy said. "He loved being petted."
Even when she offered to pay for the surgery, Emily knew the family wouldn't be able to adopt the Chihuahua. They already have two cats and a poodle that prefers not to share his family with another dog.
And as it turns out, Optimus Prime may already have a family and a name. Shelter manager Mischa Hiland said the dog, which she estimated to be about six years old, had a microchip under his skin. It was traced to Ellsworth Air Force Base, but Hiland said they weren't able to determine who the owner was, partly because files had not been updated.
"He was definitely somebody's pet," she said. "We would love to be able to return him to his owners. He's got a wonderful temperament. He's very well-behaved. They did a good job with him."
If no owner shows up, Optimus Prime should be ready for adoption in about three weeks, after his leg has healed a bit more.
Emily thinks ahead. Betsy Thies said her daughter saves a lot of the money she earns because she wants a car for college. ("I was lucky to be able to order a pizza once a week," let alone buy a car, her mom said, laughing.)
And because she does love animals, Emily has thought about becoming a veterinarian. She even learned to give the neighbor's diabetic dog its insulin shots. But the career would have a definite down side.
"I'm still kind of deciding, because I would definitely not want to put any dogs down," she said.
In this case, she saved one.
And Emily has a clear idea of the happy ending she wants for Optimus Prime: A good home with owners who walk him daily "and just love him."
For more information, call the Humane Society at 394-6906.
Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com

Posted in Local on Thursday, May 22, 2008 11:00 pm

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