Ozzy #2 Black Labrador Retriever Mix Male 1 Year Old ID#3659

Meet Ozzy!  Ozzy is a friendly, affectionate, and playful young Labrador mix that was found stray and was taken in by Safety Net Sanctuary and is now in Brookline’s care.  Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about him.

March 6, 2026

It’s been a little quiet about Ozzy. I wanted to fill everyone following him on what is going on.  First of all, we’d like to recognize a previous Brookline adopter who generously offered to pay the costs for Ozzy’s surgery. They had told their volunteer if there was ever a special case with large expenses, we should reach out because they would like to help. Brookline let them know about Ozzy’s surgery and they offered to cover the whole thing! We can’t thank these adopters enough for their generosity and for giving this boy a chance at a pain free life.

Ozzy broke his leg before he came into the rescue. It was a bad break that was never attend to. He ended up having some some major issues. I noticed he was having an issue at BCK prior to going in to foster care. He exhibited pain and could not fully extend his left leg. This has caused the muscles on his left leg to become atrophied. In addition, the left leg is significantly shorter which is causing his right hip to become dysplastic. Anyway, it was decided that Ozzy needed surgery.

On March 4th Ozzy had surgery to repair his leg. UPenn did a CT Scan on his leg and used that to create a 3D model. This allowed the surgical team could practice and figure out potential issues and the best path forward to repair his leg. The surgery was successful. The surgeons were able to repair the left leg.  Now the leg length between right and left rear legs are under a cm. He is doing well considering it was a long surgery. Penn kept him for 2 nights to keep iv meds on board for pain management. He is already bearing some weight on his left leg. They do need to use a sling to assist. Ozzy will get a PT session yesterday and today which will help reduce the swelling in the soft tissue. He will be released later this afternoon.

He goes back to Penn in 2 weeks for a recheck. Then he can start aqua-therapy after that to increase muscle mass. He has a lot of atrophy in his left leg. This will help him significantly.

It’s been a crazy ride for Ozzy. He needs to be quiet for a couple of weeks. He is on the road to recovery.

January 30, 2026

If you recall when Ozzy was at BCK he exhibited pain in his rear left leg and was unable to fully extend it. I brought him to Pennridge to be x-rayed. It was determined at some point in his life he broke his leg and it was never addressed. His leg healed improperly. Ozzy can’t fully extend is left leg which has caused atrophy of the muscles. Pennridge thought it was best to address his left leg by doing aqua-therapy to build muscle. Then Ozzy would need surgery to repair the leg.

I will cliff note the information what has happened since then.

Ozzy’s foster sent the Veterinarian at the PT clinic Ozzy’s films. He advised that Ozzy needs surgery prior to PT. The issue with his left leg is causing  the right hip to be dysplastic. He recommended a surgeon in Baltimore that would be able to do this surgery. The foster called a number of  orthopedic surgeons in her area. All recommended amputation. However, because of the dysplasia in his right hip amputation was not a viable option. We also reached out to UPenn to see what they thought.

Both UPenn and the Baltimore surgeon have a 3D printer. Since UPenn was closer we brought Ozzy to them for a consult and CR scan. Ozzy’s foster drove Ozzy to my house and the next morning we drove Ozzy to UPenn.

Ozzy was the best boy ever and charmed the staff. Not surprising, he is a sweet guy. Ozzy has major issues with his leg. These are the notes from the surgeon. Thanks to Sue S for taking great notes ( she was on the phone with us while the surgeon went over her prognosis).

· He has angular limb deformity due to an incorrectly healed fracture.

· They would only consider fixing if the dog is in pain or if the deformity will cause other joints involved to deteriorate faster. Ozzy has both.

· He is in extreme pain when it is touched, manipulated, moved at all – he will sometimes cry out but the vet said he is amazingly stoic about it – many dogs would growl or bite with the amount of pain he is in, but he just cries.

· The deformity involves the knee; he has a luxating patella and instability in the crucial ligament.

· The limb is 180 degrees from where it should be.

· The problem will progress if not addressed and he will get significant osteoarthritis there in time.

· He will be unable to live a happy life without surgery. There is absolutely no alternative.

· They will do 4 surgeries in one: femur, patella, tibia, and cruciate tear. It is an all-day surgery.

They will use the 3D printer to make a model of Ozzy’s leg so they a map of how to put it back together again. It will be a full day. We will have to be careful of infection since it is such a long surgery. Ozzy will spend at least 1 night perhaps 2 at Penn. He will need multiple appointments after. Once he is healed he will begin PT.

I want to give a big shout out to Ozzy’s foster. This is her first foster dog. It’s a lot to take in. She has been a tireless advocate for Ozzy. I also want to thank the Board for approving Ozzy’s surgery and expenses which is estimated to cost between $8,000-10,000. It makes me extremely proud to be a part of Brookline. Ozzy’s diagnosis was a huge surprise for everyone. I am so glad we are able to help him. It’s going to be a long recovery for Ozzy. He will need to be calm as he heals. We are giving this sweet guy an opportunity to have a wonderful life.

January 7, 2026

Ozzy is continuing to do great here at our house. He loves attention, short walks, helping me work, and playing with the kids.He is so laid back and was fun to have around for the holidays! He was patient with me while I finished my holiday puzzle. Now that everyone is back to school Ozzy keeps busy helping me work from home! Next week we have an appointment to learn more about how best to help fix his leg.

December 26, 2025

Ozzy had a very nice Christmas! He enjoyed watching my son play his new video game, taking short walks, and exploring all the presents. He did not jump up to get at anything off the counter or beg for food too much. He has been spending time in his crate and getting a bit more independent. After the break, I will keep working on the best recommendations to help his leg.

December 16, 2025

Ozzy is doing well at my house. He is so gentle and loving. He sits by me most of the time while I work. He helped wrapped Christmas presents last night. We have been taking short walks, and he has been doing great at those. We had our first big family dinner, and he didn’t really jump up or beg for food too much.

Outside, he enjoys running around. He is also curious about the frozen Koi pond we have.

My cat is still hiding upstairs and not cooperating really well.

December 16, 2025

Ozzy is doing great here on his 2nd day at my house. He helped me work from home yesterday. He has been going to the bathroom outside and slept in my room last night.We went for a mile walk. He didn’t pull badly. We picked the kids up from the bus stop, and he was sweet and gentle. We took my son skiing. He enjoyed the ride and was very calm in the light and is learning how to stay calm in the dark. He is being super sweet with my cat, but my cat is giving him a hard time. We took my son to school this morning. Ozzy enjoyed seeing all the kids walking to school.

My goal for today is to figure out the best option for hydrotherapy.

December 15, 2025

Ozzy had a nice evening checking everything out here. The cat isn’t happy, but we will see. He was also a little hesitant about my nephew’s friend at first. He is a big teenager….so I will keep an eye on that. I took him out a lot to potty and he did well. We walked a short walk up my mom’s house. He does pull especially towards the end of the walk. He is sleeping here by my desk while I teach. He loves to hang out with us and follows me from room to room. I am letting him out to go to the bathroom, and he sticks close to the house in my fenced yard…so I can stand there without getting my boots on.Ozzy doesn’t realize we have an in-ground pool. He keeps walking on the safety cover….. it’s approved to hold the weight of a car. He is such a good boy.

December 11, 2025

Ozzy has had a busy week. He continues to be the best boy ever. He is doing well on his training. He does pull a little on lead but he only weighs 63 lbs so it’s not too bad. He pulls in the beginning and at the end when he sees my car. I think he is ready to head back. I am using a front clipped harness which helps a lot. I think he would be a good candidate for a gentle leader.

He is great to walk because he never reacts to other dogs barking. He is interested but doesn’t engage. It’s easy to get his attention by calling him. Another great thing is if I stop walking Ozzy stops and sits in front of me.

Ozzy is leaving BCK. He is going to a foster home. I am really excited for him. I don’t know if Ozzy lived in a home prior but it’s important for him to learn appropriate house behaviors. I have to say I will miss him. He is so sweet and gentle. His jumping has improved. When I first get him out of his run he does jump but a quick correction and he stops. Ozzy was having orthopedic issues after our walk on Wednesday. He was favoring his left rear leg. He cried out a couple of times. Then he seemed fine. I brought him to the vet who took x-rays. It appears Ozzy broke his leg prior to coming to us. The break was never repaired so it did not heal correctly. Ozzy can’t fully straighten he leg out and that has caused him to have less muscle in that leg. He is too young to do any corrective surgery. The plan is to start aquatic therapy to help increase his muscle mass. Ozzy has been able to adapt to his injury. He will need an otlrthopedic consult in his future.

Keeping following Ozzy‘s blog with his foster. I will.

December 5, 2025

When Ozzy first arrived, he would jump all the time. He did have a decent sit and would eventually lay down when asked. His recall was terrible. Ozzy would come only if he felt like it. My tried and true squeaker had no effect it getting him to come. So we started over.

The first step was to have Nick my helper stay about 5 feet from me while Ozzy was with me. Nick would call Ozzy and then ask him to sit and he would treat him. Then, I would call him, and ask him to sit and treat him. We each would then take a step back and repeat the process. Ozzy did great. Recalls are probably the most important thing to teach your dog.  This also helped Ozzy to really have a solid sit.  In addition to sit, we started to add down. He’s doing much better now.

The following day Ozzy and I went for a walk. He was on a harness with a clip between his shoulder blades. That was not the right harness for him. Ozzy is better with a front clip harness. Yesterday we walked using the front clip harness. He was much better.

We also gave him the opportunity to be off lead in the big yard at BCK. Since starting his recall training, it’s night and day with off leash recalls. He started checking in with Nick and I. We would call and he would race over. We realized we need to tell him to sit as he gets closer. He was using us as the stop. He started to realize he was supposed to stop and sit when he got to us.

He is jumping less because we correct and ask him to sit. He does and he is beginning to self correct the jumping. He starts to rear up but then turns away from us. He is starting to put it together. It would be great to get him in a foster home. It’s the last piece we need to complete Ozzy’s training.

Ozzy is so sweet and gentle taking treats. If I put my face close to his he gives me gentle kisses. He has these white markings on his face that look like someone took a paint brush and splashed him with paint. The picture in the plastic house show the splattering.I want to share some pictures of how great he is doing. I will place treat on the agility equipment so he will walk or sit on it. He is a huge love. He has dreamy eyes.

December 2, 2025

Ozzy has arrived at BCK. I have just begun to work with him. He is a very handsome guy but all puppy. He does have a good sit. We have been working on sit, downs and stands from a sit. He is doing well. He needs to work on recall. He gets so excited when he is in the big yard. He rather run around than come to me. We will keep working on recall smaller area.  When he does come, he runs full speed directly at me. He does stop but the first few times I wasn’t sure.

I like his exuberance. He is still a baby but he is smart. I am looking forward to our training sessions. It’s really fun when they start to put everything together.