Doctor helps family in need

HICKORY, Pa. — The Rozanc family said they were stunned when they

learned surgery to repair their dog’s anterior cruciate ligament

would cost approximately $1,000, and, on a fixed income, they

considered taking out another loan on their home.

Hope is no ordinary household pet — she is the Rozancs’ service dog,

trained to help Vallie and Linda, who are deaf. The dog also has

trained herself to assist their mentally and physically handicapped

daughter, Janet, who lives with them, according to daughter Linda

Engel, who helps care for her parents and sister.

“They kept telling me, ‘we don’t know what we’re going to do,’” she

said about the surgery Hope, an Australian shepherd, needed after

hurting herself jumping from a bed. “They were going to get a line of

credit on their house. They were nervous wrecks.”

The family briefly attempted holistic healing, but Hope was not

getting any better. The family’s income was limited, especially after

Vallie retired from Sutherland Lumber Co. in Burgettstown, Pa.

Dr. J.A. Ford, who owns the Hickory Dickory Doc veterinary practice

in Hickory, came to the rescue of his long-time clients, telling the

family because of their need and the fact the dog is a service

animal, the surgery would be performed free of charge.

“They couldn’t believe it,” said Engel. “I came over after they found

out, and they were dumbfounded. They were so excited. She’s more like

family.”

“Our mission statement is the Golden Rule,” said Ford. “Treat other

people as you want to be treated.”

Ford, who struggled with a brain tumor and has a mentally disabled

child, said, despite the fact he had never done a surgery for free

before, the decision was easy, especially in light of Hope being a

service dog.

“Her name is Hope, and, for the past five years, that’s what I have

been living on — hope and faith,” he said. “This is a unique

situation, and they have been my patients for a very long time.”

He noted not many surgeons specialize in both soft tissue and bone

surgery, but Dr. Steve Findlay, the surgeon at Hickory Dickory Doc,

does both.

The surgery was a success, said Ford.

“I told them I couldn’t give them any guarantees,” he said. “She

could have gone under anesthetic and died.”

Hope was trained at a Colorado-based service center after walking

from Pennsylvania to Colorado with her master before being dropped

off at a humane society. Students at Canon-MacMillan Schools took up

a collection to purchase Hope for the Rozances and to fly her and her

trainer to the area from Colorado.

“She started out in Pennsylvania,” said Engel. “She was trained

especially for my mom and dad. The trainer stayed at a hospital and

came to the house every day for a week.”

Hope is very protective of the family, including alerting Vallie to

sounds in the middle of the night, said Engel.

“If she hears something, she gets up on his bed and won’t leave him

alone until he gets up and checks,” said Engel.

In addition to alerting family members when the phone was ringing and

someone was at the door, Hope also provides therapy for Janet Rozanc.

“My mother likes to sit out on the porch in the evening, but she

can’t hear anyone coming,” said Engel. “So she would sit with the dog.”

Not only that, but Hope is family to them.

“Janet was up all night because she was worried Hope was going to get

at her stitches,” said Engel. “She’s really more than a dog to them.

Hickory Dickory Doc, located on Millers Run Road, offers veterinary

care, grooming and boarding and also has an equine doctor, Dr. Jon

Stanec. He does examinations of horses residents are considering

purchasing, said Ford.

Engel said the family was grateful not only for Ford’s assistance

with the surgery, but for the service and kindness offered to them by

the office staff, especially treating them with respect.

“No question my sister asked was too basic for them,” said Engel.

“They answered them all.”

She added the family, who lives in Canonsburg, Pa., had attempted to

go to another, closer veterinarian after their previous pet died, but

Hope wouldn’t go anywhere else.

“We went to four other vets,” said Engel, adding Hope had to be taken

in through the back, because she would growl at the other animals in

the waiting room. “We came here, and she walked right in. It was a

perfect fit.”



(Wallace-Minger can be contacted at swallace@pafocus.com)