HERE - the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society

A Hand in Need
Community support provides a solid foundation to help the Shelter’s
clinic keep up with a steady stream of homeless, injured or at-risk animals
Hannah is a gorgeous
husky mix with
beautiful brown eyes.
She’s the kind of dog
who can melt your
heart with just one look.
In early November, however,
Hannah was just another stray dog
who happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time: She was hit
by a vehicle and left to die by the side
of the road.
Luckily for her, a family spotted
her crumpled body and rushed her
to a nearby clinic for help. She was
stabilized and given medication to
control her pain. Because she was a
stray, she was transferred to the Shelter
for further treatment with the hope the
family would find her.
“Hannah had a fractured humerus
(the long bone in the front leg) and
that’s very painful,” said Dr. Jennifer
Steketee, the Shelter’s medical director.
We helped ease her suffering and then
went to work.”
While efforts were made to find
her owners — she was wearing a collar
but with no
identification
or microchip
– the Shelter
staff quickly
determined that
her leg could be
saved through
orthopedic
surgery. Dr.
Rick Snook, a
talented surgeon
who joined
the Shelter
veterinary team after many years
leading nonprofit veterinary programs
in California, took up her cause and
spent hours with her before, during
and after surgery.
“I had a good feeling about
her leg,” Snook said, noting that
the fracture required three pins to
stabilize. “It was a clean break, and I
was sure the leg would be fine after
the surgery.”
While a temporary setback
required additional surgery a few
weeks later, Hannah continued to heal
in foster care until she was deemed
ready for adoption. Her foster parent,
Evelyn, says Hannah – whose original
owner never came forward— will
make a perfect animal companion.
“She’s an incredible, loving dog,”
Evelyn says. “She’s well-mannered,
house-trained, and through all her
suffering has been extremely patient
and sweet.”
Recently, Hannah and all the
people involved with saving her have
been rewarded. Hannah found her
new family — a family so moved
by her story that they drove from
Albuquerque to meet and adopt her.
Hannah
All of us at the Shelter are
grateful for each and every one of our
contributors, because you allow us
to make happy endings for homeless
animals like Hannah every day.
U U U
The Shelter’s three veterinarians, six
veterinary technicians and dozens of
volunteers ensure that every animal
who comes through our doors gets
the best care. Unfortunately, the type
of trauma that Hannah suffered is
Spring 2013 | 3