Paw Platoon comes to rescue of dog attacked in Boardman

By BRUCE WALTON

bwalton@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Despite all the misfortune Poochie has endured, the dog still soldiers on through impossible odds.

A vet said he could never use his hind legs again.

But he’s roaming his lawn again thanks to his new custom wheelchair.

Poochie, a 5-year-old Boston bull terrier and pug mix, received the wheelchair from Paw Platoon, a local nonprofit pet-charity organization.

The organization raised $1,057 after hearing about what happened to Poochie and his owner, Gerald Hatfield, 63, at his residence on Terrace Drive.

“He didn’t hate anybody. That’s why I can’t understand why anybody would actually do that to him,” Hatfield said.

Hatfield said he let Poochie play outside three months ago while he went to his basement for 20 minutes. When he went back outside, he saw someone run from his lawn and Poochie crawling across the ground. When he tried to get Poochie to stand up, his legs collapsed.

That’s when the veterinarian said Poochie had a ruptured disc in his spine, which would’ve taken a lot of force – like from a kick – to inflict that injury.

Paul Poulos, a Boardman police officer and founder/president of Paw Platoon, said the organization raised money for Poochie to help pay for some of the costs. The chair cost $326.

“That’s why we do what we do,” Poulos said. “He didn’t deserve this, and he’s a good dog. His owner loves him a lot, and unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot [of money].”

Hatfield, who is retired, lives on his own with a low fixed income.

The wheelchair was such a high priority because Poochie would drag his legs across the floor and injure his legs without noticing.

“Poochie always loved moving and being active since he was a puppy, but after the incident, he ... couldn’t move around as much,” Hatfield said.

Poochie also loved going with his owner to places, but because of his lack of control of bodily functions, Hatfield said he couldn’t take him anywhere.

After the wheelchair purchase, Poochie’s much more excited to be outdoors and safely moving on his own, Hatfield said.

“He scooted across that yard – I couldn’t catch him. That’s how fast he was going,” Hatfield said.

Unfortunately, Poochie still isn’t completely comfortable with the wheelchair.

Poochie also must wear absorbent pads when moving around or sit on the pads while in one spot. He goes through about 32 pads every day so he doesn’t relieve himself on the floor or furniture.

Hatfield usually has to spend $49 a week to buy 150 pads, and he can afford that cost only with the help he gets from Paw Platoon.

Without the organization’s help, Hatfield said he might have to put Poochie down, though he hopes there is another way to avoid that. Paw Platoon will use additional money to help Poochie stay healthy, happy and, most importantly, dry.

The organization is planning a new fundraising event Saturday with a potluck dinner and basket raffle from 1 to 5 p.m. at East Side Civics, 968 E. Midlothian Blvd.

The event costs $10 for admission, and raffle tickets can be purchased at $10 for one sheet or three sheets for $20. All proceeds will go to Paw Platoon’s charity efforts.