is asking for donations to help pay for the medical treatment of a puppy who was apparently hit by a car last week.
Animal control officer Tonya Kloiber said a veterinarian determined that the chocolate lab was about five months old based on his teeth. The dog was wearing a black nylon collar, but had no tags or microchip and no owner has called looking for him. Kloiber named the puppy Mars, after the candy company.
“I could not name a chocolate lab Hershey,” she joked. “It went against my conscience.”
A man walking along Bank Street found Mars in a yard last Monday evening and took him home. Animal Control took him in the next morning, and he was soon after sent to VCA New London Animal Hospital in Waterford. Kloiber said Mars had a clean break to the femur of one rear leg, which is consistent with injuries animals sustain when they are hit by vehicles.
Kloiber said she and the veterinarian agreed for a $2,500 cap for the surgery and care needed to treat the wound. The surgery took place on Thursday, and Mars will be looked after by the vet for up to two additional weeks. Kloiber said most animals taken in by Animal Control are healthy and do not require veterinary care, but emergency care is funded by a small portion of the budget as well as donations. An additional $2,000 is needed after an individual made a $500 donation.
Kloiber said three people had expressed interest in adopting Mars by Friday morning. She said Animal Control would assess what the best home environment for the puppy would be before giving him away.
“We’re obviously going to be looking for the best situation for him,” she said.
Anyone interested in donating toward Mars’ surgery can make a check payable to Animal Control, with “Mars” written in the memo, and send it to the New London Police Department Headquarters at 5 Governor Winthrop Boulevard. Anyone interested in adopting Mars or other animals may call Animal Control at 860-447-5231.
