Veteran's Beloved Dalmatian Clinging To Life After Tragic Highway Accident
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- His home, all his possessions and his beloved dog. A combat veteran has lost nearly everything during a trip back to Pittsburgh.
The young veteran has been through a lot. He was on his way to reunite with his family until tragedy struck on a highway in Missouri.
The crash caused him to lose almost all of his possessions, including his dog. The animal is now clinging to life and the family could use some help.
Brandon Scherer served one tour in Afghanistan with the Army. He was involved in an explosion that left him with a brain injury and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
But he says none of those experiences compare to what happened last week while he was traveling across the country. He was moving back home to get better treatment from a local VA hospital.
"It just threw my RV in a fish tail and rolling through the air, and that's all I could remember," said Brandon.
While Brandon escaped from the accident with only minor injuries, all of his possessions in the trailer were strewn across the highway. But worst of all, his prized Dalmatian, which he affectionately calls "Baby Girl," was left severely injured.
"I just crawled right to her and laid there with her until the ambulance came," said Brandon.
This is no ordinary dog. Baby Girl has helped Scherer cope with life for the last six years after he returned from Afghanistan.
"She's pretty much an unlicensed service dog," says Brandon of his beloved pet.
"She is a big part of him still being here, and that he's moving on and forward; [she] gives him a purpose," said John Scherer, Brandon's father.
The dog was initially taken to an emergency vet.
Brandon had to give her IV injections the whole way back to Pittsburgh to keep her alive.
"She didn't seem that bad and things started to manifest," said John.
Once in Pittsburgh, Baby Girl underwent emergency stomach surgery and had her eye removed. She has four fractures in her skull and was given a feeding tube.
The vet bills just keep adding up. All while Brandon tries to put the pieces of his life back together.
"I'm more of a mess and worried about her than anything else in my life right now," Brandon says.
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Brandon's brother started a GoFundMe page to help with Baby Girl's medical expenses. Already, more than $2,000 have been pledged.
"She's all I have, just been me and her, she's the only one that stuck around," Brandon said. "I can't wait to get her home."
If you'd like to help Brandon with Baby Girl's medical expenses, visit his GoFundMe page at this link.
KDKA's Kym Gable Reports:
By Wednesday evening, Baby Girl was doing well enough for our KDKA cameras to pay a visit to Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center on Camp Horne Road.
The animal is still swollen and getting her nutrition through a feeding tube, but Brandon was delighted by her progress.
"This is the first time I've seen her up and about, wagging her tail," Brandon said. "She's a lot less swollen."
Dr. Kelsey Sutcliffe is overseeing her care.
"She still has some progress to make on her swelling and her bruising, but overall, she's doing great. She's a great dog and her family is very deserving as well," she said.
