Dog’s lost leg fuels Las Vegas animal shelter dispute — PHOTOS

Dolly’s life as a three-legged canine is just beginning.

The pit bull puppy’s right rear leg is gone, and the animal rescue group that picked up Dolly from the Animal Foundation this week questions why the animal shelter didn’t remove the leg sooner.

A Home 4 Spot, the rescue organization, isn’t blaming the Animal Foundation for the loss of Dolly’s leg.

Rather, the organization questions why it kept the leg untreated and bandaged for the three-day legal hold period, though the shelter knew the injury was infected.

The Animal Foundation, meanwhile, says it kept a close watch on the dog, giving her pain medication and antibiotics and keeping the bandage clean.

“I think that when a dog comes in like this and something is so severe, that the dog should be released to a rescue immediately and taken to a doctor,” said Diana England, president of the animal rescue group.

The dog went into surgery the same day England picked her up. England said the dog had an “unusual odor” from the infection.

“My complaint is why would you let a dog sit down there for three days?” England said. “Why would you do that? That is inhumane.”

The Animal Foundation, like England, furnished a copy of Dolly’s medical records to the Review-Journal to back up its account. The veterinarian’s note describes Dolly as “BAR,” which stands for “bright, alert and responsive.”

Brought in to the Animal Foundation after normal veterinary hours on April 22, Dolly was sent promptly to a clinic the foundation uses for after-hours care, said Carly Scholten, director of operations for the foundation. The veterinarian cleaned the infected area and bandaged it.

Even then, amputation was anticipated because of the severity of the injury.

The next two days, a veterinarian checked the bandage. Because the cast was clean, veterinarians didn’t feel it necessary to put Dolly through a “painful bandage change,” Scholten said.

On April 25, before Dolly was turned over to A Home 4 Spot, the Animal Foundation took the bandage off, cleaned the injury and put on a new bandage.

The Animal Foundation says it didn’t amputate the leg right away because the condition wasn’t immediately life-threatening and the shelter knew that Dolly would be going under the care of A Home 4 Spot after the three-day legal hold period ended. The Animal Foundation holds off on major procedures for animals during the three-day period in local ordinances when their owners can reclaim them, unless the condition is life-threatening, Scholten said.

An animal’s condition is disclosed in advance to rescue organizations, Scholten said.

How Dolly was injured before being taken to the shelter is unknown, Scholten said.

The Animal Foundation contracts with Clark County, the city of Las Vegas and the city of North Las Vegas to provide animal sheltering services during the legally required three-day hold period after a stray animal is picked up and their owner can claim them. Last month, the county extended that contract over the objection of critics who oppose euthanizing animals that are not adopted.

The opposing sides of the pit bull dispute do agree on at least one thing: Dogs with three legs deserve adoption just as much as those with four.

A Home 4 Spot has since found a home for Dolly.

“She’s already walking,” England said. “Her resilience is unbelievable.”

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1