By Ed Simmons, Jr.
cpreporter@verizon.net

Hit by a car on Route 301 on July 7 not far from the entrance to Fort A.P. Hill, the black and white Pointer was in a lot of pain. Both front legs were shattered with some of the fractured bones sticking through her skin.

A passing motorist had stopped and called for help. Officer S.M. Jessee jumped into her Caroline Animal Control work truck and headed out.

A dog lover herself with eight dogs that she looks after with her husband at their home here in Caroline, Jessee was determined to help. Before the female Pointer's ordeal was over, she would get a new name from Jessee. "Harmony." And a lot of help.

"She was in the median on the hill. I don't know how she got there on those legs," said Jessee. There on the median, she leashed the Pointer and petted her, getting a feel for her temperament. It was gentle. "She was scared and not aggressive."

Jessee got her on the truck's stretcher. "There was no way she was going to be able to walk." The man who'd called helped her carry Harmony to the truck.

Once in the truck, Jessee called Caroline Animal Hospital and took her straight in. She took pictures of Harmony's stricken face and broken legs. The vets stabilized Harmony and gave her a strong pain medication.

Jessee sped back to the shelter. There were no "loss reports" for a black and white Pointer. Then Jessee got on the Web. "It was at that point I contacted some rescue groups because she was going to need a lot of funding." Harmony was also heartworm and Lyme's disease positive. She also had a bad eye, probably from an early bout of distemper. "She's run the gauntlet in her life," said Jessee.

Jessee sent out a flurry of e-mails with Harmony's pictures, telling what happened. She called vets to get estimates for Harmony's treatment. The Veterinary Emergency Center in Richmond, offering a 20 percent discount, estimated they could do the work for between $3,000 to $3,600.

"It was real stressful for a while – the logistics of getting things set up," said Jesse. Meanwhile she was sending out more photos and updates on Harmony, in addition to keeping up with the shelter's normal call volume.

Then donations started pouring in. The Caroline Humane Society gave $500, and C.A.R.E. gave $1000. A host of other rescue groups sent in even more funds.

One of Jessee's e-mails had gone to S.A.R.A.H., a Connecticut shelter for handicapped dogs that has taken in dogs from the Caroline Animal Control Shelter. S.A.R.A.H. had sent Harmony's picture and story to an entire network of rescue groups. There would be money enough for Harmony's treatment.

Harmony's treatment at the Veterinary Emergency Center went well. She had incisions on her front legs running from her ankles to her shoulders with staples pinning her bones together. Now at a foster home and enjoying being around people, Harmony can now stand and walk short distances though most of the times she's temporarily confined to facilitate her healing.

Officer Jessee has seen to it that Harmony will be going to the Henrico Humane Society, which will screen a good home for her.

"A lot of people don't realize how hard we work to find homes for the dogs," Jessee said. "I'm really glad things turned out well for her. It was really worth the effort."

Officer Jessee said later in a July 16 e-mail that went out to all the groups that helped, "She still has a long road, but because of all the help we received from you guys I am confident she is going to have a long happy life."

If you'd like to adopt Harmony, call the Henrico Humane Society at 804-262-6634. www.henricohumane.org.