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Children's therapy dog gets knee surgery
The 165-pound Newfoundland underwent surgery on Monday to repair a ruptured ligament in his left knee at a veterinary hospital in Ventura and was expected to be released today. "He's recovering well," said Leah Basinais, hospital manager for Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group. Casa Pacifica is a residential facility in Camarillo that treats abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Melissa Flavin, who oversees Casa Pacifica's preschool and longterm residential treatment programs, said the children know Archie had surgery but miss him.
Since two Camarillo Acorn articles appeared earlier this year, Archie's fame has spread far and wide. Others are now appreciating the effect the pooch has on the children. News outlets took up the story this summer and Archie's story appeared in newspapers from Seattle to Denver, and television stations CBS2 and KCAL9 in Los Angeles aired several segments about plans for his surgery. An assortment of Internet blogs also comment on Archie. His ability to inspire people has even jumped national borders. Casa Pacifica has received donations from as far away as England, said Vicki Murphy, director of operations. The publicity has helped Casa Pacifica raise more than enough money to pay for the $6,000 surgery and the balance owed for an earlier surgery on Archie's right leg, Murphy said. The public's interest in Archie prompted Murphy's 29-year-old daughter, Shannon, to build a website, www.archiethedog.com, where his fans can get uptotheminute information on his activities. Murphy said they've had nearly 1,500 hits on the website from 15 countries in the last 30 days. Murphy's daughter also designed a line of Archie T-shirts for his admirers; local businesses picked up shirt and printing costs. Child treatment facilites from as far away as Florida have called to say they plan on getting a therapy dog like Archie for their children, Murphy said. "The money has been great; just letting people know about Casa Pacifica and the children is priceless," Murphy said. Although Casa Pacifica now has enough money to pay for Archie's surgeries, if donors still want to contribute, the money can go into a fund for Archie's upkeep- he eats 40 pounds or more of food a month- or to help the nonprofit stay afloat. Casa Pacifica is a nonprofit with an annual budget of $23 million, 90 percent of which is funded by the government. The facility has to raise the remaining 10 percent, or $2.3 million, every year to stay operational. Casa Pacifica can house as many as 73 children, from infants to teenagers, but serves more than 350 children through an array of programs. And the Camarillo campus is home to a school and medical clinic. Every six hours a child is admitted to one of the programs, Murphy said. Donations not only keep the therapeutic and educational programs in place, such as the $250,000-a-year preschool, but provides for the children's everyday needs, such as diapers, toothpaste, daily vitamins, school supplies and overthecounter medicines. Other expenses one may not necessarily consider also take up a sizeable chunk of the budget, Murphy said. For instance, the facility pays for a child to have anesthesia when a tooth must be extracted. Medi-Cal will only pay for Novocain, she said. For more information about Casa Pacifica and Archie, call Murphy at (805) 445-7804. |
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