Road to recovery: Shelter dog recuperates behind prison walls

Someone didn't want to give Bear a second chance. They just let loose the 100-pound mastiff mix that was found wandering around Brown Street last summer, a few blocks from the Animal Shelter.

But Carson City Animal Control Officers wanted to give him another chance, said Supervisor Pat Wiggins. They took in the golden Bear and tried to find him a home.

Then recently officers noticed the big guy was favoring his left leg.

"We took him down, got an X-ray for him at Lone Mountain Vet and found he had a fracture in his shoulder. Probably an old injury that's progressively getting worse," said Wiggins.

Animal Control paid for the surgery, but another conundrum presented itself, said Wiggins. Doctors ordered the four-legged patient on bed rest, of sorts. But who could sit with Bear 24 hours a day?

Animal Control Officer Shadow Kelly knew exactly who. As a former Nevada Humane Society employee, Kelly was familiar with the Nevada State Prison's Puppies up for Parole program, in which inmates socialize shelter pets, making them more suitable for adoption.

NSP Caseworker Anita Habberfield said she took the call from Kelly, and agreed immediately to take on the task of nursing Bear back to health. The collaboration is a first for Puppies up for Parole and Carson City Animal Control.

About a month ago, Bear was paired up with inmate Rocky Boice Jr. Since his incarceration in 2002 for second-degree murder, Boice, 31, of Carson City, has socialized about 75 dogs.

Each day, Boice takes Bear for his medication, meals and bathroom breaks. Then they head back to Boice's cell, where Bear lounges on his dog pillow, and Boice makes certain he doesn't mess with the stitches on his leg. When Boice goes to work at the tag plant, another member of the program sits with Bear, he said.

Today, Bear will journey outside the prison walls to have his stitches removed, moving him closer to finding a permanent home. The doctors anticipate it will take six weeks for him to recover.

"Once we get his stitches out ... in about another month or so, when he can actually start standing on it, I'll teach him some basic training, like sit and shake, lay down," said Boice. "He's strong. He's getting a lot better. He'll eventually be a good pet for someone."