Yogi, a Chihuahua mix who was found as a stray, is recovering from hip surgery at a foster home, but Animal Rescue of Tracy needs help to pay for his veterinary bills. Courtesy photo
When Yogi’s foster caretaker, Juana Rosas, first saw the little dog, he was taking refuge from the sun under her aunt’s van in the parking lot of WinCo Foods, 2850 Pavillion Parkway.
He was emaciated, dehydrated and limping from a broken hip, Rosas said.
“I went into WinCo to get him a bone,” she said. “I tried to give it to him — he was terrified of me. He was yelping as he ran away.”
Despite several failed attempts to catch him with her three sons, Rosas said, she refused to give up. She spread the word among neighbors, and the little dog was captured two weeks later by a family friend.
Rosas said her first stop was the office of a local veterinarian, who diagnosed the badly broken hip.
“I wanted to make sure he was safe to be around my kids and my two dogs,” she said. “Dr. Thomas Ross (of Large and Small Animal Vet Services) on Schulte Road suspected maybe a car hit him, or a hard kick.”
Rosas said she was willing to foster Yogi for a time, but she needed a shelter or rescue group to find him a permanent home. She also hoped someone would step up and pay for his life-saving surgery.
After being told he was a lost cause, Rosas found the help she sought from Animal Rescue of Tracy, whose officials told her they would find the $1,100 for Yogi’s surgery.
Working with Jules Veterinarian Hospital, rescue leaders took Yogi to Dr. James Burnett. Burnett concurred that part of Yogi’s hip bone had cracked and snapped off, according to Nicole Goodfriend of Animal Rescue of Tracy, and he performed the surgery.
Burnett not only repaired Yogi’s hip, he also neutered the little dog and microchipped him for his future owner.
Though Goodfriend said Yogi is on the road to recovery, the rescue still needs money to pay off his vet bill and is reaching out to the community for help.
“We were very fortunate to have some assistance from Noah’s Ark Foundation ($300), and we’re trying to raise the rest of the money ourselves,” Goodfriend said. “We still need $800.”
Anyone interested in making a donation Yogi can do so through PayPal at www.animalrescuetracy.org; by mailing a check to the rescue at 793 S. Tracy Blvd., Ste. 133, Tracy, CA 95376; or by visiting the rescue’s Bark Ave & Meow Place storefront near Macy’s in the West Valley Mall, 3200 Naglee Road, between noon and 4 p.m. Saturdays or Sundays.
Those considering adopting Yogi can call the rescue at 642-4324.
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