Chihuahua dumped at Santa Rosa Junior College dies after surgery

An injured Chihuahua puppy rescued two weeks ago from a Santa Rosa Junior College Dumpster has died after undergoing surgery to repair its two broken legs.

The puppy, named Darla by Sonoma County animal shelter staff, died Monday, Animal Services Director John Skeel said.

'Everyone is really saddened, but if it has helped to bring to attention all the other animals that are neglected and abused in our community, then she did not die in vain,' Skeel said.

The circumstances around the dog's abandonment and injuries remained a mystery, Skeel said.

The puppy was an estimated 12-to-16 weeks old and weighed about two pounds, said Dan Famini, a contract veterinarian for the county who also heads the SRJC veterinary technician program. The dog was on the thin side of normal in weight, but otherwise had no other sign of possible abuse, he said.

'She was an exceptionally affectionate puppy,' Famini said. 'A lot of the dogs we get in the shelter are apprehensive or standoffish. She was interactive and affectionate throughout.'

Scott Fetherston, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, performed the operation, a high-risk bone plating procedure required to save the dog's legs, said Famini, who assisted in the procedure.

The dog went into cardiac arrest after the surgery and although staff revived the dog's heart and lungs, brain function never returned, Famini said.

'When she went into (cardiac) arrest the second time, we let her go,' Famini said.

The Chihuahua was found Oct. 27 by college groundskeeper Syda Khaleck, who heard whimpering as he was about throw trash into a Dumpster near the greenhouse at Lark Hall. He found the tiny animal and retrieved it from the Dumpster, placing it on a towel in his truck. The animal cried and whimpered whenever it tried to use its two front legs. It was brought to the county's animal shelter.

Famini said two parallel bones in each foreleg had been broken. The injuries appeared recent and 'would have been consistent with a single, sharp impact to those legs.'

'She could have been thrown in a Dumpster or caught under a rocking chair,' he said.

Famini said the veterinary team opted for surgery and not amputation in part because the loss of both front legs especially is a large disability for animals to overcome.

A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect in the dog's abuse and abandonment, Skeel said. The reward money is being offered by the Monte Rio-based Dogma Animal Rescue and an anonymous donor.

SRJC Police Lt. Robert Brownlee said that his department is assisting animal service officers, who are leading the investigation.

'It's heartbreaking you don't want to see anything like this happen on campus or anywhere,' Brownlee said.

Authorities are asking anyone who may have information about the case to call Sonoma County Animal Services Officer Justin Foster at 565-7100.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.