Chihuahua thrown from car gets second chance

Abby undergoes surgery, soon to be adopted to deserving family

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 1-year-old Chihuahua got a second chance at life thanks to the community and some local organizations.

Abby was thrown out the window of a moving vehicle on Saturday. A Good Samaritan saw it happen and took her to the Jacksonville Humane Society for emergency care.

Abby underwent surgery Thursday morning to repair her broken legs and is doing great, but her medical care is expensive. The Jacksonville Association of Firefighters heard about Abby's story and instantly knew it wanted to help.

PHOTOS: Chihuahua gets a second chance

The association pitched in the first $500 and has now received more than $1,000 from the community, all going toward the good health of Abby.

But the help didn't stop there. According to the Humane Society, donations have been pouring in from across the country, and the shelter raised more than $10,700. The money will be used to help provide medical care for Abby and other helpless animals that are injured and abandoned.

"It will be an eight- to 12-week recovery, but at the end she will be able to run, jump, play like any other pup," said Amy Pierce, of the Humane Society.

Abby weighs only 4 pounds and has been through a lot, but Pierce said she is such a fighter.

"Through it all, she has not lost her spirit for a second," Pierce said. "She's still loving and loves people and is a resilient little animal."

Fire union President Randy Wyse said the association saves animals, not just people, from fires, and those pets are near and dear to firefighters' hearts.

"We have a connection with dogs in the fire service, with search and rescue dogs, so we're working with them a lot, and something we felt like we could help," Wyse said.

Both the firefighters and the Humane Society think they will ultimately raise more money than Abby needs, and they said that money will go to good use.

"We have hundreds of other animals who come in throughout the year who need extensive medical care and have been abused, so we will be able to provide for them as well," Pierce said.

Abby will be with her foster parents during her recovery. After that she will be put up for adoption. The Humane Society said it has already had lots of people, even from across the country, put in a request to adopt Abby.

The Humane Society staff said Abby will go through a normal adoption process just like any other one of its animals, but it wants to make sure that whoever adopts her can handle potential medical issues in the future if Abby were to need followup medical care.