Neighbors rally to help canine hero.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/lifestyle/pets/heroic-wash.-dog-rescues-child%3B-community-saves-blazer
Byline: Brynn Grimley; Kitsap Sun
A beloved border collie who tracked down a missing child became a neighborhood hero.
Now Kitsap County folks are returning the favor by covering a $3,000 medical bill to amputate Blazer's hind leg after he was discovered tied up with plastic wire.
Blazer disappeared from the Roller family's home Aug. 5. The 7-year-old border collie was found early this week near a school with plastic wire zip ties around three of his four legs just above his paws.
"They said if he would have stayed outside one more night, he would have died," said David Roller. "There was no way he could have made it home."
The family said it clear the injuries were caused by humans. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever abused Blazer.
"The really special thing about Blazer is his favorite game is search and rescue," said Katie Roller, David's wife.
That training came in handy recently when a neighbor's child got lost in the woods near their home. Katie Roller sent Blazer out and he found the child.
Blazer vanished the same day Katie Roller was in a serious car accident, leaving the family to wonder if he was trying to find her when she didn't come home.
Her car was totaled and she was hospitalized with a severed artery in her leg. Her leg was almost amputated, and it could still be if it doesn't heal properly, she said.
The Roller family is struggling financially so the vet bill hit them hard.
"We've never asked anybody for help, but we decided we needed to tell people someone mutilated our dog and we need help,"she said.
"He's just a really beloved animal in our whole neighborhood," Katie Roller said.
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