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Animal Lover Offers To Pay Dog's Medical Bills

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By AMERICA DEUPREE

News Channel 8

Published: August 1, 2008

TAMPA - A good Samaritan has offered to pay for the surgery of a dog that may have been attacked by an alligator.

When Bindi, a German shepherd mix, was found Wednesday near phosphate mines in a remote area of eastern Hillsborough County, she was missing part of a leg and her jaw was broken.

Animal control officer Roger Parker said Bindi "was just lying there with her eyes shut." The dog's front left leg was partially gone and about 8 inches of bone was protruding from the wound, he said.

Parker thought the dog was dead and muttered, "Poor baby," he said. At the sound of his voice, Bindi got up and limped toward him.

Instead of waiting for a transport to a veterinarian, Parker took her there himself.

"I was already attached. She was just so calm considering the extent of her injuries," Parker said.

Veterinary technicians named her after the daughter of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.

Bob Reina, 42, who volunteers for Hillsborough County Animal Services, offered to cover Bindi's medical bills.

"I've been fortunate enough in business that I am able to give a little something back," said Reina, the owner of Talk Fusion, a Brandon company that specializes in video e-mails. "It's about the animals. I just love animals."

It is "not out of the question" that Bindi may have been attacked by an alligator, said Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan. "It is highly possible, considering the type of water that the dog was found near."

Ryan said another possibility is that the dog's leg got caught in an animal trap.

The 40-pound German shepherd mix underwent surgery Thursday afternoon.

"She is doing pretty well," Ryan said. "She is even moving around a little on just the three legs."

Tribune reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report.

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