By KATE COIL
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
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BLUEFIELD — A boy and his dog are both recovering following a fatal car crash on Route 52 after going into surgery on the same day.
Kathy George and her son, Joshua “Lance” Holbrock were both severely injured during a Tuesday morning wreck on Route 52, first being taken to Bluefield Regional Medical Center, and then being flown out to a hospital in Roanoke, Va.
While Kathy recovers from a broken leg and her son recovers from two broken elbows and other injuries, their family dog, known as “R.C. Boober” or just “Boober,” is also recovering from the accident at the Green Valley Animal Hospital.
According to Ann Scott, the victim’s aunt, Boober had a broken femur, the result of being ejected from the car during the accident.
The family had just moved back to West Virginia a matter of weeks ago from North Carolina.
Scott said the family took the dog to a nearby veterinary clinic after the accident. The clinic was not their usual veterinary office and the family was not pleased with how the clinic dealt with their pet.
“We took (the dog) straight to the vet Tuesday morning after (the crash victims) were sent to Bluefield Regional,” Scott said. “We wanted a payment plan, but (the vet) wouldn’t offer anything. They won’t let us move the dog. They just keep saying we need to pay. They’ve had the dog. They wouldn’t work with us. This is a single mom and her kids. She didn’t ask to be hit head-on or have any of this happen.
Scott said Lance, her grand-nephew, wanted the dog to be brought to his hospital room so he could see him. Scott said Boober is very important to Lance’s life.
“This isn’t just a little dog,” Scott said. “This is that little boy’s lifeline. I left him crying yesterday, crying wanting me to save his dog.
Kathy George said the dog is more than a pet and they consider Boober family.
“We’ve had him for three to four years,” she said. “He’s like our family. A dog can be as close a companion to a person as family. He’s a part of our family too. I hope that he’s better, that we heal and he heals. My son loves his dog too. We love our dog. My son likes to play with him, put him in boxes and play with him. He mainly just likes to play with him.”
George said the family was not happy when the first clinic they took Boober to wanted to put the dog to sleep, nor were they happy with the treatment of the family’s situation.
She said Boober, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, goes everywhere with the family.
“He goes everywhere with us,” George said. “He comes in my car with us. We never leave him, not even to go walking. He goes everywhere we go.”
After a relative offered up a credit card, Scott was able to take the dog from the first clinic and to the family’s normal veterinarian, Dr. Richard Pence at the Green Valley Animal Hospital.
Scott said Dr. Pence told the family he would take the dog into the clinic and into surgery as soon as possible.
Kathy George said she was relieved to hear the dog was at the family’s veterinary clinic.
“I like Dr. Pence,” she said. “When we first lived here, we used to send our dogs to him. He’s really close to us. I appreciate everything he’s done for us. He’s a great doctor. He’s got a heart.”
Scott said the family was relieved to have Boober at the Green Valley Animal Hospital.
“They took him straight into surgery since the other clinic had left it so long,” she said. “They had left his leg so long and had only wrapped a cloth around it. The workers at our clinic were very upset when they saw how the other clinic had him wrapped.”
According to Scott, Boober was happier in his new environment.
“He was screaming when we got to the other clinic, but he was real happy when he got to Dr. Pence’s,” she said. “Everyone there was loving on him.”
Dr. Michelle Postel, a veterinarian at the Green Valley Animal Hospital, kept a close eye on Boober’s condition while he waited for his surgery. While Lance went into his own surgery at 1 p.m. at Roanoke Thursday afternoon, Boober was taken into surgery at 3 p.m. on the same day.
“Right now, he has a broken femur,” Postel said. “The fracture looked pretty straightforward and we were able to get him into surgery around 3 p.m. The dog should have a full recovery and hopefully, the little boy does as well.”
Postel said the clinic has worked with the family in the past.
“They have brought dogs in here before,” she said. “We’ve worked with them before. We do this for all of our patients.”
According to Postel, paying for Boober’s surgery shouldn’t be a problem.
“We try to work out payment plans with all of the people who come here,” she said. “We know money doesn’t grow on trees nowadays.”
Postel said it isn’t often they come across an animal that his been injured in a car accident.
“I’ve worked here 13 years and I’ve only seen it once or twice,” she said. “It’s not very often, thankfully. We see a lot of animals hit by cars, but not really any that are in the cars themselves.”
According to Postel, Boober is already doing well, and she hopes his owners will make similar recoveries.
“The dog hardly knows he has a broken leg,” she said. “He’s doing very well. Hopefully, the result will be good for both of them. I hope everyone recovers as well as can be. Our thoughts and prayers here are with the family.”
Scott said they are happy to have Boober in a loving environment. She also hopes knowing that Boober is doing well will help Lance’s condition improve.
“We’re content now,” she said. “He’s in an atmosphere where people totally care about him. That’s all that matters, and that Lance gets his dog back. Having his dog back will build him up a lot.”
— Contact Kate Coil at kcoil@bdtonline.com
