Duluth News Tribune (Minnesota)
DULUTH, Minn. - Newspaper readers were so touched by the story of a blind police dog named Timber that they paid for an operation to restore his sight. In fact, they paid for the $2,500 surgery many times over.
Officer Michelle Rafferty was ready to cover the cost out of her own pocket rather than let her cash-strapped department exchange her partner for a new dog.
But when a story about Timber’s cataract operation and Rafferty’s devotion appeared in the Star Tribune of Minneapolis last month, readers sent more than $20,000.
“It has blown me away and changed my life forever,” Rafferty said.
Donors ranged from the rich and famous to kids who emptied their piggy banks.
Two weeks later, 22-month-old Timber appears to see well, perhaps for the first time. When nature called last week, he had no trouble zigzagging through a stand of trees before selecting one that suited his purpose.
“He seems spunkier, a little more sassy,” Rafferty said. “His operating speed seems like it’s picked up a little.”
The extra money went into the Duluth Police K-9 Fund, where it will pay for equipment, dogs or other needs of the unit where Timber and Rafferty serve.
Timber is about a month away from returning to work. Rafferty is also on the mend.
Earlier this month, she tripped and fell while busting the sort of suspect Timber normally would have pursued. She lost some teeth and now has stitches in her lips and some major dental work ahead. Her left arm is in a cast because of torn ligaments.
She’s spent part of her down time writing thank-you letters.