Special Needs: I doubt you'll find Hank's major surgery in a medical file, but if you did it would be at McAdory Veterinary Clinic in McCalla, AL. One of my best friends for many years, Dr. Landon Grantland, was a vet student at Auburn University while I was there. We both ended up in Birmingham after college, and he became a vet at McAdory. One day a man brought in a dog who had been hit by a car. Dr. Grantland estimated what it would cost to fix the dog, Hank, and when the man was told he walked out of the building, leaving Hank behind. Hank had been kept on a metal wire in the front yard. Dr. Grantand said that his best guess is that Hank had broken the wire trying to chase cars. He was hit while the wire was still attached, and the wire was wrapped and embedded into his leg in the accident - thus the scarring. His worst injury though, was to the other leg. The ball had displaced from the hip socket. Hank was going to be destroyed, but Dr. Grantland asked has partners if he could practice a complicated procedure on him. It's a Femoral Head Ostectomy, which removes the femoral head and neck producing a “false joint.” Basically, Hank's ball and socket joint is only a socket. Dr. Grantland kept Hank at the clinic for a few days. Hank recovered brilliantly and it was clear he'd be an adoptable dog. Dr. Grantland asked all of his friends to foster him. All of them. My wife and I reluctantly agreed for Dr. Grantland's sake. After a couple weeks, he was our dog permanently. When Hank isn't thinking about it, he runs like nothing bothers him. He's always been comically skittish of stairs on the leg, but it's never slowed him down. In fact, he could outrun our other dog with ease, stairs or no stairs. Because it's never bothered him, I didn't think to include when talking to Neva. In fact, my wife and I never even thought about it. If this makes things difficult for you in any way I am so so sorry. I am not sure if there are records of the procedure at McAdory, but I will check tomorrow. If Dr. Grantland has anything, I'll have it over to you ASAP. Please don't hesitate to call, text or email if you need anything regarding Hank. I'm at your disposal and happy to help in any way at all. Jeff 256-466-0715