HICKORY, Pa. — The Rozanc family said they were stunned when they
learned surgery to repair their dog’s anterior cruciate ligament
would cost approximately $1,000, and, on a fixed income, they
considered taking out another loan on their home.
Hope is no ordinary household pet — she is the Rozancs’ service dog,
trained to help Vallie and Linda, who are deaf. The dog also has
trained herself to assist their mentally and physically handicapped
daughter, Janet, who lives with them, according to daughter Linda
Engel, who helps care for her parents and sister.
“They kept telling me, ‘we don’t know what we’re going to do,’” she
said about the surgery Hope, an Australian shepherd, needed after
hurting herself jumping from a bed. “They were going to get a line of
credit on their house. They were nervous wrecks.”
The family briefly attempted holistic healing, but Hope was not
getting any better. The family’s income was limited, especially after
Vallie retired from Sutherland Lumber Co. in Burgettstown, Pa.
Dr. J.A. Ford, who owns the Hickory Dickory Doc veterinary practice
in Hickory, came to the rescue of his long-time clients, telling the
family because of their need and the fact the dog is a service
animal, the surgery would be performed free of charge.
“They couldn’t believe it,” said Engel. “I came over after they found
out, and they were dumbfounded. They were so excited. She’s more like
family.”
“Our mission statement is the Golden Rule,” said Ford. “Treat other
people as you want to be treated.”
Ford, who struggled with a brain tumor and has a mentally disabled
child, said, despite the fact he had never done a surgery for free
before, the decision was easy, especially in light of Hope being a
service dog.
“Her name is Hope, and, for the past five years, that’s what I have
been living on — hope and faith,” he said. “This is a unique
situation, and they have been my patients for a very long time.”
He noted not many surgeons specialize in both soft tissue and bone
surgery, but Dr. Steve Findlay, the surgeon at Hickory Dickory Doc,
does both.
The surgery was a success, said Ford.
“I told them I couldn’t give them any guarantees,” he said. “She
could have gone under anesthetic and died.”
Hope was trained at a Colorado-based service center after walking
from Pennsylvania to Colorado with her master before being dropped
off at a humane society. Students at Canon-MacMillan Schools took up
a collection to purchase Hope for the Rozances and to fly her and her
trainer to the area from Colorado.
“She started out in Pennsylvania,” said Engel. “She was trained
especially for my mom and dad. The trainer stayed at a hospital and
came to the house every day for a week.”
Hope is very protective of the family, including alerting Vallie to
sounds in the middle of the night, said Engel.
“If she hears something, she gets up on his bed and won’t leave him
alone until he gets up and checks,” said Engel.
In addition to alerting family members when the phone was ringing and
someone was at the door, Hope also provides therapy for Janet Rozanc.
“My mother likes to sit out on the porch in the evening, but she
can’t hear anyone coming,” said Engel. “So she would sit with the dog.”
Not only that, but Hope is family to them.
“Janet was up all night because she was worried Hope was going to get
at her stitches,” said Engel. “She’s really more than a dog to them.
Hickory Dickory Doc, located on Millers Run Road, offers veterinary
care, grooming and boarding and also has an equine doctor, Dr. Jon
Stanec. He does examinations of horses residents are considering
purchasing, said Ford.
Engel said the family was grateful not only for Ford’s assistance
with the surgery, but for the service and kindness offered to them by
the office staff, especially treating them with respect.
“No question my sister asked was too basic for them,” said Engel.
“They answered them all.”
She added the family, who lives in Canonsburg, Pa., had attempted to
go to another, closer veterinarian after their previous pet died, but
Hope wouldn’t go anywhere else.
“We went to four other vets,” said Engel, adding Hope had to be taken
in through the back, because she would growl at the other animals in
the waiting room. “We came here, and she walked right in. It was a
perfect fit.”
(Wallace-Minger can be contacted at swallace@pafocus.com)
