Blinded dog Roadrunner’s recovery has been ‘amazing’

The KC Pet Project took advantage of Wednesday’s nice weather to share an update on Roadrunner, the dog who needed to have his eyes removed because of alleged severe abuse.

“Until now we have only been able to share stories and pictures with the media,” said Tori Fugate, manager of marketing and development for Kansas City Pet Project, which runs the city’s animal shelter.

“We wanted to show how well he is doing and show how his recovery has just been amazing,” said Fugate. “He is just doing great.”

Believed to be a Tibetan spaniel, the 12-pound dog allegedly was thrown from the third-floor balcony of an apartment building in the 1200 block of Independence Avenue in November.

Surgeons removed his damaged eyes and repaired his broken pelvis. He has been healing in a foster home and was neutered last week, Fugate said.

“He’s doing great,” Fugate said. “He is adjusting very, very well. He gets along great with the two other dogs in his foster home. He loves playing with them, and he loves playing with toys.”

“He’s just acting like a normal dog,” Fugate said. “He is very cautious when he moves around and walks around in case he bumps into something. But if he bumps into it, he corrects himself.”

She said that once Roadrunner is in a space for a little bit of time, he can tell where he needs to go.

“Just watching him walk around the office is pretty remarkable how well he has adjusted,” Fugate said.

Donations have covered his medical care.

Roadrunner’s former owner, 36-year-old Kimberly Anderson, remains in jail awaiting a trial. She is charged with animal abuse, a felony, and animal abandonment, a misdemeanor.

According to court documents, a witness told police Anderson threw the 12-pound dog from the balcony.

The witness also saidthat Anderson wrapped a leash around the dog’s neck, picked him up and slammed him to the ground. She allegedly choked the dog a second time and then kicked him, leaving him outside.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for later this week. She was being held in the Jackson County jail on $10,000 bond.

For now, Roadrunner will continue to stay in a foster home.

“We are hoping to make an announcement soon about his future and what is going to happen,” Fugate said. “He has been medically cleared now.”

She said there has been a lot of interest in him from all over the United States.

“We have a lot of other pets that can be adopted,” Fugate said.

Because the Super Bowl is this weekend, KC Pet Project will have a Super Dog Adoption Special of $40 for adoptions of most of its dogs Friday through Sunday.

For more information about adoptions or donating to the KC Pet Project, go to kcpetproject.org or call 816-513-9821.

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Blinded dog Roadrunner’s recovery has been ‘amazing’."