Man Thanks Residents, Tufts, for Saving Dog's Life

Hank, a six-year-old black German Shepherd, gets to go to Hovey Pond with his "dad" Brandon Rivard pretty often. The river that leads out to the pond is directly across the street from Rivard's house in North Grafton, on Worcester Street.

Hank loves to swim and romp around in the water, and they spend a lot of time around water and on boats. So when Rivard held a family get-together this past Sunday, Hank got caught up in all the commotion and wandered back across the street to visit with some of the guests who hadn't headed down to the river.

That's when a car slammed into him, right in front of Rivard's house.

When Rivard ran out to get to Hank, about two minutes after the accident, there was already a crowd of people trying to help and direct traffic.

"People were amazing helping out," said Rivard. "Two or three Tufts students were already on scene and listening to his heart and lungs with stethoscopes. I have no idea where they came from but am so grateful they were there to help and give suggestions like putting him on a board, and not lifting him directly into the car. I'm guessing they were either on their way to or from school. One lady, who said she used to work at Tufts, called and told them we were on our way and to have a gurney ready."

The man who hit Hank also got out of the car to direct traffic before help had arrived. Rivard, who posted a "thank you" on Craigslist in an effort to reach those who assisted, is hoping to track him down.

"I hold no hard feelings toward anyone, as it was clearly an accident, and no one's fault that he was injured," said Rivard. "I've actually been trying to get in touch with the person who hit Hank to give him an update and thank him for stopping. This was the main reason for my Craigslist post."

Hank suffered several broken ribs, bruising on his chest, damage to a front leg, and some pretty bad road rash on his tail. Tufts Veterinary School treated the injuries, including assisting him with the problem of not having air in his lungs.

"He pulled through and is doing much better even after less than a week," said Rivard. "He is able to walk around with some difficulty, but still mobile except for stairs and in and out of the car. I would like to personally thank fourth-year student Jennifer Morris and Dr. Katherine Moyer, DVM, for being so compassionate and caring for me and my dog during this traumatic experience."