Upon first seeing Otter sitting patiently in his roomy, hay-cushioned quarters on the outdoor grounds of the Animal Rescue Fund, he gives the appearance of a puppy with perfect manners, flexible and poised in his limbs.
Otter, a five-month-old collie-Labrador mix was brought to ARF in mid-March. A victim of a cruel owner, Otter was dropped off at the Boyce Animal Hospital in Muncie in February with a broken pelvis and a damaged seventh lumbar vertebrae.
Veterinarian John Boyce said although Otter had no use of his hind legs, he was chipper, alert and two months old.
"He's one of those animals that we really debated putting to sleep. He had no owner, he was paralyzed, but then his personality took over," Boyce said.
Otter's in-the-moment animal innocence and joyful spirit prevailed. He dragged himself around by his front limbs and thus earned his name. Now a fluffy five-month old puppy with large, happy eyes and a perpetual smile, Otter has captivated those involved in his rehabilitation at ARF.
"He is defying all of the odds," said Kathy Beals, a professor of nutrition family consumer sciences at Ball State. Beals, who has a Ph.D. in physical education, has learned how to rehabilitate injuries. Applying this knowledge to Otter, she massages his hips for range of motion and uses a harness under his back end in order to aid his walking and building the strength in his legs. Future plans for Otter's rehabilitation include raising money for a wheelchair and pool for hydrotherapy.
Thanks to Beals' efforts, along with the love and time given from volunteers, Otter has regained some use of his back legs.
"Animals adapt so much better to disability than humans; he's a happy boy," Beals said.
"Credit must be given where credit is due," Terri Panszi, founder of ARF, said. Panszi said ARF could not accomplish what it has without its volunteers.
In June of 1998, Terri Panszi was making the transition from a 20-year professional career as an X-Ray technician to the nonprofit world that would become ARF.
Through working at a hospital, Panszi took her knowledge of medical care, such as proper use of the I.V., treating injuries and applying first-aid into taking care of animals.
While Panszi takes some of the credit for the successful care and treatment of ARF animals, she said ARF would not be possible without the generosity and medical knowledge of Boyce.
"I could not have done ARF without him. He has stood by and saved ones I've felt we should save, and he never says 'I told you so,'" Panszi said. "He'll say 'Great Job.' ARF would not have succeeded without Dr. Boyce."
Panszi had no idea how nonprofit organizations were run, nor did she have an idea that ARF's rate of growth would play such a prominent role within the Muncie community. In the beginning she said she believed she was creating a venue where hurt and abandoned animals could stay for a short while. ARF, she said, "Won; (it is) always where my heart is. The decision was made for me."
ARF runs on donations from private organizations and individuals. Volunteers clean, feed, walk and give love to the animals daily.
Had Otter not come to ARF, Panszi said, he would have been put to sleep, a practice that is commonly used in animal shelters. ARF has a "no kill" policy and does not believe in euthanasia as a means of animal control. The ethos of the organization is to spay and neuter pets and provide shelter until permanent homes are found.
Jann Ewbanks, a recent Ball State graduate, has worked at ARF since March of 2001.
"I'm a complete spay and neuter geek," she said. Ewbanks said her view of puppies and kittens has changed after seeing how many of them come to ARF abandoned.
Otter, along with the other happy and well-loved boarders at ARF, could not continue without perpetual care and unconditional love given by those who are involved in ARF.
"We pride ourselves on taking the ones that no one wants," Beals said. "We're an island of misfit toys, or, you could say, an island of misfit puppies."
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