Polly the Pup Doing Well After Surgery

Polly, a mongrel puppy who recently underwent the first of three knee and hip surgeries thanks to an anonymous $2,700 donation to the Ventura County Humane League, is already improving, said veterinarian Miles Yoshioka of the Adobe Animal Hospital.

“We did the knee surgery first because she was so crippled. Now she can stand up and bear weight on that knee,” Yoshioka said Thursday.

The German shepherd-husky mix was rescued by league volunteers just after birth. It soon became evident that her hipbones were outside their sockets, and one rear kneecap was dislodged.

The surgeries were funded when a Ventura County couple heard about Polly’s plight and chose to help the dog rather than exchange Christmas presents.

Now, Polly is learning to walk again.

“We’re doing physical therapy with her,” said her temporary keeper, Nidia Palma of Oxnard. “We stretch her leg and walk her on a leash, so she can’t just bunny-hop like she did all her life.”

Palma said a few people have expressed interest in providing a permanent home for the 7-month-old pooch. She will have a hip operation in three weeks.