Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Mathilda Kent, 4, hugs her dog, Arthur, who sits on the steps of Kristy's of Saratoga. Kristy Kent bakes dog treats to raise money for Arthur's needed surgery.
Dog treats help raise surgery funds
There's a reason why Arthur sits on steps that way
By Kara Chalmers
Some people may have seen Arthur, a sweet and lovable yellow labrador-retriever mix, while shopping or browsing the art galleries near Fourth Street on Big Basin Way. One of his favorite places to sit is at the top of the steps leading to owner Kristy Kent's store, Kristy's of Saratoga, on Fourth Street. What many passersby may not know is that the dog sits there for a reason.
Kent says the sitting position is the most comfortable for the dog's legs and hips, which cause the 1 1/2-year-old pooch so much grief he is on painkillers. So comfy is this position, in fact, that Arthur often tries to use her other dog, a basset hound, as his own personal easy chair, Kent says.
Arthur was born in a litter of 13, with his legs crossed. Ever since then, he has had problems with his legs and hips. X-rays show that the ligament on Arthur's right knee is tearing.
"We couldn't tell when he was a puppy," Kent said. "But six months ago, he started really limping."
Six months ago was right around the time Kent, who lives in Ben Lomond, opened her garden art store in Saratoga. Arthur, who was a permanent fixture there throughout the warm summer months, only accompanies Kent a few days a week in the winter, because the cold concrete ground in her store is bad for his limbs.
Arthur, one-quarter greyhound, is good-natured and wonderful with Kent's 4-year-old daughter, Mathilda. "People love him," Kent said. "People just pet him and hug him and kiss him, and he just loves it." It is rare for a dog this young to have the problems Arthur has, Kent added.
Arthur needs four different surgeries on his back end, one on each leg and hip. His doctors say the surgeries should total around $6,000--money that Kent does not have.
In her store, a photo of Arthur on his favorite step is mounted on a sign that says, "My Mutt Needs a Cut to Save His Butt." The poster sits on Kent's desk beside a basket of doggy treats shaped like bones wrapped in pinkish cellophane and tied with pink or blue ribbons, with tags that say, "Thank you for helping Arthur." One bag costs $1, and the money goes towards the Arthur Foundation, a pot of money Kent has collected to pay for the surgeries. So far, she has collected $99.50.
Carol Weldin, a dental hygienist who lectures on veterinary dentistry, was visiting her cousin in Saratoga when she heard about Arthur.
"My cousin told me there's this wonderful lady trying to raise money for some very expensive operations for her dog," Weldin said. Right away, Weldin knew something was wrong with Arthur's legs when she saw how he was sitting in the photograph in Kent's store.
Weldin said she advised Kent to contact animal-service groups, such as the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), to try to raise more money.
"What really moved me was the fact that she is a single mom, and she had been baking biscuits for her customers to buy as a way to donate," Weldin said.
Arthur will get his needed operations, one way or another, Kent said. He will probably have one surgery at a time, so that Kent will not have to pay for everything at once. And the first surgery must be done soon, before Arthur's right kneecap tears anymore, Kent said.
"He needs [the surgeries]," Kent said. "Being such a young dog, it's hard not to go forward with it."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
