Beloved Patch Pup Recuperating After Surgery

Fans of Patch the dog, take heart. All your prayers and well wishes seem to be paying off.

The Aussie cattle dog and well-known canine around downtown Doylestown is home, recovering from back surgery.

And owner Bob Shaw has nothing but sincere thanks to the two veterinarians that helped diagnose and treat his 7-year-old pooch after he quickly fell ill.

Patch, along with Shaw’s two other furry companions, hang out at Shaw’s business during the day – , located behind Posh Hair Design on East State Street.

With all the pedestrian traffic from nearby Market Way and Bobby Simone’s Restaurant, lots of people have gotten to know the doggie mascots.

“All of them go to work with me,” said Shaw, who runs the sign shop with his wife, Marylou. “They’re the greeting committee when people come to work. They all know [the dogs’] names, they come by to say, ‘Hi.’ I have no idea who some of them are, but they know the dogs.”

The other two are 10-year-old Oz, another Australian cattle dog, and Kiwi, 4, a mini-Australian shepherd. But Patch, especially, is Shaw’s right-paw dog, so to speak.

“Patch is like my buddy. He goes everywhere I go, he sleeps on my bed with me, he watches TV with me … He’s a so awesome dog.”

The affection he feels is evident in Shaw’s voice as he describes his furry pal.

So it became a major concern of Shaw’s a few weeks ago when his canine companion was having trouble just standing—and then moving about.

“He went from being normal to in two weeks he couldn’t walk,” said Shaw.

Frantic, Shaw took Patch to see his veterinarian, Drew Sporer, DVM, at Doylestown Animal Medical Clinic.

The dog had a history of knee issues, Sporer said, and initially he felt it was due to that combined with ACL injuries (Shaw figured Patch hurt himself by an overzealous groundhog chase).

Sporer had him scheduled for knee surgery, but then thought there may be another issue involved.

Patch’s hind legs were getting weaker and signaled to Sporer that there may neurological problems that needed to be addressed, overshadowing the chronic orthopedic ones.

Sporer referred Shaw to a specialist at the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, N.J.

An MRI done last week at the hospital confirmed Sporer’s suspicions—Patch had a tumor on his spine.

Last Wednesday, veterinarian Eric Glass, who specializes in neurology and neurosurgery, operated on the dog and was able to take out the tumor.

“He did absolutely wonderfully during and after surgery,” said Glass. “He bounced back much quicker than expected.”

The surgery left Patch with 20 staples down his back.

He’ll go back Monday to have them removed and find out whether the mass was cancerous from the biopsy they performed.

“Hopefully, we’ll get good news for this puppy,” said Glass.

Until then, Patch is spending his days—probably for the next six weeks—at home while he recovers from his ordeal.

Shaw is keeping Patch-watchers apprised of the pup’s condition on his Facebook page.

Here are a few of the many comments posted on his wall:

From Holly Frabizio (owner of Mercury Tattoo Studio opening soon on Donaldson Street): “Keeping Patch and you guys in our thoughts and prayers! Speedy recovery for the big guy!”

Chris Kauffman writes: “Best wishes on Patch’s recovery!”

Laura Sue Stewart, who was Patch’s foster mom before the Shaws adopted him, gives a thumbs-up for good news: “I am so glad to hear Patch made it through the surgery and is able to walk!!! God is truly an awesome God!!! Give Patch a hug from me.”

From James Frazier (owner of Cyborg One Comics): “Aww, Patch. Chin up, pup.”

And Leon Ingleright: “You've got all the prayers Robert and I can muster. Tell Patch we love him and we're pulling for him to get through this.”

“It’s just amazing how many people are responding to him,” said Shaw. “He’s got a lot of friends.”