Bonnie Gruver’s path was intertwined with Bane, a 3-year-old French bulldog, since the first day he arrived at Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge this summer.
On May 19, Bane arrived at the Franklin Township no-kill shelter in rough shape. He could not walk and had no control over his bladder because post-surgery rehabilitation instructions were not followed after an operation to repair a disk in his spinal cord.
That same day, Gruver started volunteering at Blue Chip, to give back to the facility that cared and found a home for her former dog, Jeter. Gruver had to give him up when she became homeless nearly a year ago.
“I had some health issues and became homeless,” Gruver said. “I called Marge (Bart, the founder of Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge) and even though she did not have a spot for him, she created one.”
The shelter helped Jeter find a forever home.
When Bane was dropped off at the shelter, Gruver did not know they would become life-long friends.
“I remember I was washing dishes (at Blue Chip) when Bane arrived,” she said. “Everyone was really upset because he was in worse (health) than they expected.”
The little pup had “a lot of sores on his bottom half” and had no use of his back legs, Gruver said.
“They (the staff) called Marge,” she said.
Bane was gently bathed. The dog was clearly stressed and upset, Gruver recalled.
She sat with Bane for over an hour soothing him. Then, Gruver tucked him in for the night, an action that soon became routine.
Marge had Bane evaluated by a neurologist in Clarks Summit, who determined the surgery was a success and the canine had feeling in his back legs.
Community supporters and Blue Chip volunteers banded together to help fund Bane’s recovery. Funds and a donation of a canine wheel cart came in to help the pup.
For three months, shelter volunteers followed a daily and weekly rehabilitation and medical program developed by a local veterinarian.
The result: Bane could stand for nearly a minute. But then his progress stalled.
Marge was unwilling to give up her belief that Bane could walk again. She sought out other options and found a four-day, eight-week, intensive physical therapy and acupuncture program at Animal Therapy Center in Bethlehem.
But another hurdle faced Bane — the program’s $500 per week cost.
Blue Chip volunteers put out a request for donations in August. Within 12 hours shelter supporters gave $4,300 to cover Bane’s recovery costs.
Gruver, who lived in transitional housing at the time following a 79-day residency at Ruth’s Place, helped to care for Bane when he was at the shelter.
“Marge said I should have Bane; it was meant to be,” Gruver said. “But I could not have a pet in the transitional housing.”
In August, Gruver moved into a permanent home in Pittston.
Two potential adopters approached Marge with interest of giving Bane a forever home, Gruver said. His constant need for care and his demanding rehabilitation routine was unfortunately too much for busy families.
“He came back to the shelter twice,” Gruver said.
When Bane returned to the shelter in September after being cared for by a foster family, Gruver made her move to adopt him.
In October, Bane came home with Gruver.
Gruver is accustomed to caring for Bane’s medical and physical needs because she has been pitching in to help since day 1.
She said the pup still needs to have his bladder “expressed” routinely and she drives him to Bethlehem every Thursday for two days of physical therapy, funded through Blue Chip.
“I take him down Thursday night and pick him up at 1 p.m. on Saturday,” Gruver said.
She has Bane’s routine down to the point the little pup can now sleep in her bed at night.
Bane has surprised everyone with his progress, she said.
“He can stand on an underwater treadmill and walk for 15 minutes,” she said. “You can see the defined muscles in his hind legs.”
Every week he makes more progress, she said.
“I am so thrilled to have him,” Gruver said. “He brings me so much joy. It was meant to be.”
