Family had no idea dog to be rehomed ended up on the street

Alone. Scared. Darting frantically between cars on the road.

When a woman, Genesis Mineo-Rivera, saw the little Chihuahua get hit by a vehicle at Bonanza Road and Eastern Avenue on Dec. 2, she stopped, scooped up the pooch and took her to a shelter. But the shelter indicated the dog would be euthanized. So, instead, Mineo-Rivera sent out a call for help by posting an SOS on Facebook page Lost Dogs of Las Vegas.

Enter Linda Gilliam, a foster parent with A Home 4 Spot, a local animal rescue group.

"The first shelter she went to (told her it) would put the dog down," Gilliam said. "I said, 'Take her to my vet,' gave them the heads-up and contacted Diana (England, founder) of A Home 4 Spot, who agreed to make the dog one of ours. We are not taking medical dogs, so I was covering the cost."

Gilliam called the pup Chance because she was given a chance.

She arranged for Chance to be treated at Town Center Animal Hospital, 3565 S. Town Center Drive, by Matthew Brooks and Charlotte Pulliam. The dog was X-rayed, given IV fluids and treated for road rash. Luckily, she did not suffer any major injuries from being hit by the vehicle, but an existing condition was a cause for concern. Chance had an abscessed tooth, so bad it was ruptured through her cheek. It involved extensive surgery, which took place Dec. 5. Gilliam set up a GoFundMe account at gofundme.com/haileyscomet to help cover the vet bill of nearly $1,800. As of Dec. 8, $1,635 had been raised.

The dog's original owners were located through her microchip. She was named for Halley's Comet, but somewhere along the way, the spelling was changed to Hailey.

"The phone call was difficult," Gilliam said. "The step-daughter was in tears, and her step-mother was very upset that this happened to her baby."

That's when Gilliam learned that the dog had not been abandoned, but had been surrendered after the family — a grandfather, mother, step-mother and two adult siblings — had to move and learned their new place came with a $400 pet fee, to be paid up front. They couldn't afford it, so the ex-husband took Hailey, saying he had secured a good, loving home for her.

"Which obviously did not happen," Gilliam said.

The family was devastated to hear that Hailey was wandering the streets and wanted her back, Gilliam said.

Gilliam has promised them she would pay $200 toward the landlord's animal deposit. Another foster parent, identified only as Dee, agreed to chip in another $100. Until more money can be raised to pay the landlord, Hailey is being housed with Gilliam.

"We all met at the vets. They just held her and (petted) her," Gilliam said of the family. "Hailey just closed her eyes and 'zen-ed' in grampa's arms. And Carlos, he had big tears running out of his eyes. They wanted to know how to take care of her teeth; I know he felt so guilty."

"I said, 'Probably the best thing that happened to her is that she got loose and hit by a car. Because you guys would have never found her. You would have never known what she was experiencing. She would not have been rescued.' It's almost like 'no such thing as coincidence'. … It is Christmas, and for this to happen, we said, 'Boy, Hailey, you have some serious angels looking out for you.' "

For more information about A Home 4 Spot, visit ahome4spot.com or contant England at 702-239-7986.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.