VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Benji the dog makes an extraordinary recovery and has a favorite pastime you wouldn’t expect
Brooke Killgore: At the Central New York SPCA, a place where animals find relief when they can’t speak for themselves, many come in with heavy stories. But behind one door here in North Syracuse… there’s a tail that just won’t stop wagging.
Donna Newman: I know Benji because he was on bed rest at the shelter and…uhm, I felt so bad for him and so, I did a…letting him relax at my office and taking him home for a few days and I just fell in love with him. He’s so sweet and so friendly and he just looks like a big puppy. I just adore him, he’s so sweet.
Killgore: But there was a time when that happiness wasn’t there. The one-year-old terrier mix was found six months ago after being hit by a car, his back leg badly injured. The community helped fund his surgery, and Administrative Assistant Cynthia Moon has been by his side since.
Cynthia Moon: Somebody had hit him with a car and nobody had said anything. Somebody knew because he was locked in the dumpster area and nobody said anything….Watch, like when he’s walking, like he will put all four feet down. He’s starting to use that back leg and so, they said it’d take probably a year for it to heal, you know, and look right. And I’m hoping for six months because he’s ready.
Killgore: Here at the CNY SPCA, every dog has their favorite thing to do. Chasing balls, going on walks, but for our friend, Benji, it’s the last thing you would expect.
Killgore: According to Newman, Benji absolutely loves the thing that hurt him in the first place: cars, and he loves riding in them. She first discovered that love when she fostered him for a couple of days earlier this year. So we decided to take him for a car ride to get a specific treat for the first time.
Killgore: In sharing this small moment with Benji, he teaches us that one bad moment…even a life-changing one… doesn’t have to shape how you see the world. Despite being hit by a car, he still meets every ride in life with excitement.
Killgore: Reporting from North Syracuse, Brooke Killgore, NCC News
NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Just down East Molloy Rd, the Central New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CNY SPCA) is a place where animals arrive carrying stories they can’t tell themselves.
Most of them come from unfortunate situations and need medical attention before being put up for adoption by the shelter.
But one young terrier mix has become a symbol of resilience. Behind a shelter door in North Syracuse, a dog named Benji now greets staff and visitors with a tail that rarely stops wagging.
Benji, who is about a year old, was brought to the SPCA six months ago after being hit by a car and left with a badly injured back leg. According to staff, he was found locked in a dumpster area with no information from the person who struck him.
“Somebody had hit him with a car, and nobody had said anything. Somebody knew because he was locked in the dumpster area and nobody said anything,” CNY SPCA Administrative Assistant Cynthia Moon said. “He’s starting to use that back leg and so, they said it’d take probably a year for it to heal, you know, and look right. And I’m hoping for six months because he’s ready.”
Moon was one of the first to respond to the call about Benji and has been by his side throughout the whole recovery process. His back leg had suffered extensive damage and required surgery, which ended up costing close to $6,000. For a shelter that is community-funded, the CNY SPCA turned towards the people in the area for help.
Moon and the CNY SPCA helped set up a puppy yoga class to raise funds for Benji and it proved to be a major success. With that help, Benji received his procedure and is about six months into his recovery process.
During that recovery, Volunteer Coordinator Donna Newman formed a special bond with him.
“I know Benji because he was on bed rest at the shelter and I felt so bad for him and so I [let] him relax at my office and took him home for a few days,” Newman said. “I just fell in love with him. He’s so sweet and so friendly and he just looks like a big puppy. I just adore him, he’s so sweet.”
As Benji healed, the staff began to discover his favorite activity: one no one expected, given his past: riding in cars.
According to Newman, Benji loves car rides so much that his excitement is immediate the moment a door opens. She first noticed it when she fostered him earlier in the year. Recently, shelter staff took him on a ride to pick up a small treat, putting on display his enjoyment of the car.
In sharing that moment, Benji reminds the community that even the most painful experiences don’t have to shape a whole life.
Benji continues to recover at the CNY SPCA, where he’s still looking for his forever home. For now, he remains a favorite among staff and a happy passenger on any car ride he can get.