Sarah Jane Kyle

sarahkyle@coloradoan.com

A Fort Collins beagle is rehabilitating in Longmont after being hit by a car and losing his leg during a 7-week "adventure" away from his owner.

TJ, owned by Dave Snyder, 27, of Fort Collins, was found by Boulder Animal Control officers this week after being his by a car and suffering serious injuries to his right front and hind legs. The dog was transported to Aspenglow Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Boulder and is now rehabilitating at Aspen Meadow Veterinary Specialists in Longmont after a right hind leg amputation.

"He's now a tripod," Snyder said. "But he's in good spirits."

The beagle ran away from his dog sitter in City Park May 14 and has been missing for almost two months. Snyder adopted the dog about a year ago from Larimer Humane Society.

TJ's history is dark — he was a research beagle in Wyoming for around two years before being rehabilitated and put up for adoption. Snyder said the dog was kept in a cage for the first years of his life and gradually introduced to typical dog experiences, like running in grass, for research purposes.

"He wasn't a normal little guy when we got him," he said. "He didn't bark for over a year. He didn't know what to do with a yard."

Snyder said TJ loves other dogs and his new family but "doesn't trust people."

The Fort Collins man put up fliers "everywhere," put up a Craigslist ad, set up a profile on www.LostMyDoggie.com, went door to door throughout Fort Collins and even hired a private K9 search team to find the dog. He received several calls from people who had "TJ sightings," but the dog ran away from people who tried to catch him. His collar, which included a number for TJ's microchip, was found in a stranger's yard

Sightings tracked the dog through Laporte, Fort Collins and, eventually, Boulder. Snyder almost caught him near Vern's Place, 4120 County Road 54G, in Laporte. The calls stopped around June 8. Snyder believed the dog to be dead and began mourning his best friend.

Boulder Animal Control found TJ badly injured Wednesday when they responded to reports of a dog being hit by a car and called Snyder using the dog's microchip information. TJ had been seen around Boulder around three weeks.

His prognosis was unclear Thursday, but the dog pulled through surgery and will be OK — minus a leg. Snyder said TJ will need more surgery to stabilize his front leg, but he hopes to bring him home Wednesday.

Snyder has set up an online fundraising page to help with an expected $12,000 in veterinary expenses to save TJ. Putting the dog down "just wasn't an option," he said.

"Even though he was all mangled up, he was happy," he said. "I had to do whatever I could to get him back."

Sarah Jane Kyle is the Coloradoan reporter covering volunteerism, nonprofits and philanthropy. Follow her on Twitter @sarahjanekyle or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/reportersarahjane.

Help

Visit www.giveforward.com and search "TJ's Medical Expenses" to help with TJ's veterinary bill.