Thanks to the generosity of the public an injured and abandoned puppy in Williams Lake received surgery Tuesday.
On New Year's Eve a five-month-old German shepherd-border collie cross puppy name Samantha was discovered abandoned and badly injured at a rest stop 20 kilometres north of Williams Lake.
A passerby called the Williams Lake SPCA, who rushed Samantha to a veterinary clinic, where it was determined she had a broken femur and the injury was likely a few weeks old.
Michelle Lavoie of Williams Lake got the ball rolling, putting out plea for help on the local Facebook page Cariboo Pet Connect.
Then, last Friday the Williams Lake SPCA put out their own public plea asking for donations to fund the $800 cost of the surgery.
"By the end of the day Saturday we had $1,300 at the shelter and over $1,500 online donations for the whole weekend," said branch manager Liz Dighton Tuesday. "Anything not spent on Samantha will, unfortunately, go toward the next injured animal we receive."
Dighton and her staff believe Samantha was probably hit by a car, and because of the extent of her injuries her leg had to be amputated.
Samantha had no identification and no one had come forward to claim her.
After Tuesday's surgery it will take roughly one week to make sure everything is healing well and then Samantha will be up for adoption.
"I have had a few people contact me about her, but I don't have any applications on hand yet," Dighton said. "She's a really neat dog, a typical border collie with way too much energy and way too much brain."
The local animal hospital performing the surgery has asked to remain anonymous.