Chanel, a chihuahua, suffers fractured pelvis after being hit by speeding car in Lawrence

BOSTON — A Chihuahua named Chanel is recovering after suffering a fractured pelvis when a speeding car struck the small dog in Lawrence on Wednesday, MSPCA officials said.

Chanel has been cared for by staff at the MSPCA’s Boston adoption center in Jamaica Plain since that day, an MSPCA spokesman said. Chanel’s previous owners surrendered her to the MSPCA as her injuries and ongoing care are more than they can afford.

“Despite all she’s been through, adoption center staffers tending to her night and day report that she is friendly and quite spirited, with a will to live that staffers hope will see her through the worst of her injuries,” Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA, said in a statement.

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Lawrence chihuahua hit by car (MSPCA photo)

X-rays taken at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center showed that Chanel has a severely fractured pelvis, and likely has other injuries that will be revealed once additional diagnostic tests are performed, shelter officials said.

For now, the MSPCA is managing her pain with medication ahead of what will be a complex surgery to repair her pelvic fractures, a shelter spokesman said.

Chanel will require weeks in the care of the MSPCA to regain her health and mobility post-surgery, which is likely going to occur in early January. Keiley is optimistic for the young dog’s future, even as he reflects on one of the busiest years for animal surrenders in recent memory.

“Chanel’s one of thousands of pets who’ve passed through our adoption centers in 2023, many of whom required extensive veterinary care before we could place them for adoption,” he said. “We’re grateful that at this time of year we still have the resources necessary, thanks to the enduring support of our donors, to see [Chanel] through this so that we may place her in a loving adoptive home.”

The MSPCA placed more than 10,500 homeless animals into adoptive homes in 2023, an achievement that, according to Keiley, could not have come at a better time as animal welfare organizations across the country grapple with a dog over-population crisis that puts thousands of dogs at risk of euthanasia for nothing more than a lack of a home.

“We saw the crisis coming, and set about early in the year to do everything we can to help,” said Keiley. “When most other organizations slowed down or completely halted accepting transfers from overcapacity shelters, we stayed the course and even brought more dogs in whenever we had the space to do so.”

Keiley pointed to data from Shelter Animals Count showing that there are nearly 245,000 additional pets waiting in the shelter system this holiday season compared to last year, as the shelter population has grown by nearly a quarter million animals in 2023.

Keiley is determined not to have Chanel remain in a shelter.

“As soon as she recovers from surgery we’ll look to place her in a loving home,” he said.

The MSPCA will announce Chanel’s availability for adoption in the coming weeks.

Anyone who wishes to contribute toward Chanel’s medical care may do so at mspca.org/donate. Officials said her surgery and after-care costs are likely to exceed $10,000.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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