No 'Life of Riley' for Pup

Living the “life of Riley” means being carefree and comfortable. But a Camillus family’s puppy — a 6-month-old lab/Great Dane named Riley — has known no such thing. The puppy suffered broken legs in Georgia from being beaten with a golf club. That landed him in an animal shelter, but it was closing, so they planned to euthanize him....

Living the “life of Riley” means being carefree and comfortable.

But a Camillus family’s puppy — a 6-month-old lab/Great Dane named Riley — has known no such thing.

The puppy suffered broken legs in Georgia from being beaten with a golf club. That landed him in an animal shelter, but it was closing, so they planned to euthanize him. He was saved by rescue groups and eventually adopted by Dannielle Loranger and her two boys, Bradley, 11, and Austin, 9.

Riley needs surgery on his left leg and will probably lose his right one, racking up as much $8,000 in vet bills. That’s made life for the family who adopted him anything but carefree.

Loranger has already put $4,300 toward Riley’s expenses.; and her co-workers at Syracuse Research Corp. and friends have been pitching in along the way.

A bake sale this week raised $300, and a 50-50 raffle raised another $600, thanks in part to the raffle winner who donated the winnings back for Riley’s care.

Cornell University — where Riley has been treated —kicked in $1,000 to help pay for the dog’s future surgery. Individuals have sent small donations of $15 or $20 through a website for the dog: rileysruffrescue.com.

The family will hold a garage sale this weekend to help cover the vet bills already paid and to pay future bills. It will be from 8 a.m .to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the family’s home at 101 West Genesee Road.

Riley was saved from euthanasia by an organization called Dogs on Death Row – dodr.org — and found his way to Loranger’s home through adoptapet.com and muttandlabrescue.org.

Somewhere along that troubled route, Riley didn’t get the veterinary care he needed. Instead of surgery in Georgia, his legs were put into casts, and that only made the injuries worse, the vets told Loranger.

Riley was limping when the family picked him up on June 27 in Albany, but the were assured it was from being cramped on the trip north from Georgia.

“We took him home,” she said, “and that night he couldn’t get up to go to the bathroom and we had to carry him out. The next day, after a good night’s sleep, we were hoping he would rebound, but he just had a horrible limp.”

That started a series of visits to the vet, first in Fairmount, then specialists in Syracuse and Canastota. The vets determined both legs had been broken, along with the joint in the right leg. At that point, it looked like surgery would help Riley.

Then, on July 12, Riley was running across the living room when his right leg gave out. Loranger was advised to get Riley to Cornell Animal Hospital. The prognosis: Riley’s right leg must be amputated.

“Obviously, we didn’t know any of this when we got him just two weeks ago,” Loranger said. “It’s been a huge, huge drain on my family. It’s been very exhausting for myself and disappointing for the kids.”

Loranger realizes there are limits to what she can spend on Riley. She has a family to support. But, Riley has quickly become a part of the family, too, she said.

She contacted Dogs on Death Row, who pledged to help pay for any additional veterinary care for Riley’s legs. The group offered to take Riley back but could not guarantee he wouldn’t be euthanized.

“We’ve had him for a couple of weeks now, and my kids ... are so attached to him,” she said. “I can’t be responsible for that. He’s such a sweet, happy dog, and the thought of him being put down when I could have helped him doesn’t seem right.”

Contact John Stith at jstith@syracuse.com or 251-5718.