Archie recovers from surgery
Posted by Anne Corke on 2007-09-13. Filed under Website Updates
Archie, the Newfoundland profiled in our August feature, is recovering from surgery. Here's the latest news from
Anna Chang-Yen of the Ventura County Star:
A 160-pound Newfoundland is on the mend after surgery this week and will soon be back to work as a therapy dog for abused, neglected and severely emotionally disturbed children. Archie, the beloved dog who brings smiles to children at the nonprofit Casa Pacifica facility in Camarillo, will need six to eight weeks of rest before he'll be able to use both legs again, and three to four months for a full recovery.
When Archie sustained something similar to an ACL injury in a human, newspapers and television stations ran stories, and donations started coming in to Casa Pacifica. The Associated Press picked up Archie's story, and it was soon appearing nationwide. Nearly $6,000 in donations, some from as far away as the United Kingdom, helped pay for Monday's surgery. "We've met probably 150 new people we never heard from before," said Vicky Murphy, Archie's caretaker and director of operations and development for Casa Pacifica. "There are messages on a Newfoundland blog, and other dogs write to him. It's adorable. They all talk about the kids and all the work he does to take care of the kids." Archie has received 60 pieces of fan mail in a single day. A student at Casa Pacifica's school saved $5 in pennies to help pay for Archie's surgery.
Jake Vanoni, 13, of Camarillo raised $1,000 by holding a garage sale and collecting donations from relatives and his mom's co-workers. "My cousins went to Casa Pacifica, so it's pretty special to me, and I really like dogs," Jake said. "I have a Newfoundland of my own. Since I was a kid, my parents have had Newfoundlands."
Specialist surgeon Dr. Ian Holsworth performed the surgery at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura. During the procedure, Holsworth repositioned Archie's tibia, a bone below the knee, so that the top faces flat like a human's tibia. Holsworth said he was glad Archie's ordeal shined a light on Casa Pacifica. "I'm hoping it raises awareness for what they're going through as well."