Margate police officer adopts dog struck by car, facing leg amputation

Officer Erin Young pays for surgery to save Tango's leg

MARGATE, Fla. – A Margate police officer gave a dog a second chance in life after it was struck by a car on Friday and left in the roadway.

Officer Erin Young has been working for years to help people in the city of Margate, but this time it wasn't a person who was in need of her service.

"We found him over by the middle school," Young told Local 10 News reporter Derek Shore.

Young found the Pitbull-American-bulldog-mix, now named Tango, in the street with a broken front leg.

"There were two witnesses that saw him get hit by a car," she said.

Young spent nearly an hour with Tango while they waited for Broward County animal control officers to pick him up.

Officers eventually located the owners of Tango, who took him to an animal hospital to get treatment.

Young went by to check on him.

"I saw him being walked and he had his little cast on, so I stopped to see how he was doing and they said he was going to have his leg amputated on Wednesday because the owners couldn't afford the surgery," she said. "That just broke my heart. I didn't want this poor puppy to lose his leg because no one would pay for it."

Young later found out that the owners had surrendered Tango, so she stepped in to help.

"I said that I would adopt him as well as pay for his surgery," she said.

Young had Tango's leg repaired out of her own pocket. The dog, who is 10 pounds under weight, will take his time getting used to a new life, which Young says was fate.

"I didn't have to go help look for the dog, I chose to, and I'm glad I did, because it put us together," she said.

Click here to help Young pay for Tango's medical expenses.