VIP medical treatment helps dog recover

A veterinarian suggested putting Josie the dog to sleep. Instead, the Twedt family decided to skip Christmas presents and use the money to pay Josie's medical bills.

Around this time last year, Josie the dog had a broken back, a dislocated hip and internal injuries. A veterinarian suggested putting her to sleep. Instead, the Twedt family decided to skip Christmas presents and use the money to pay Josie's medical bills.

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But an outpouring of gifts from around the world soon followed, enabling the Twedt kids to get Christmas presents and Josie to receive multiple operations, twice-a-day whirlpool therapy, and convalescence in a private room with a TV tuned to the Animal Planet channel.

"She's a four-legged pooch again," said Stella Twedt. Josie, an Australian cattle dog, was hit by a truck near the Twedt home Dec. 5, 2003. Her operations eventually surpassed $7,000. So Doug and Stella Twedt and Stella's three children decided to go without Christmas gifts.

When their story got out, hundreds of pet lovers from Los Angeles to Jamaica to Britain sent the Twedts money, Christmas gifts, cards, pictures of their pets and — of course — dog treats for Josie. They sent more than $10,000 and hundreds of gifts.