Creek County Army Veteran's Service Dog Recovering After Hit By Truck

It's a long road to recovery for Blitz the service dog, but his family is just grateful he's even alive.

Earlier this week, the Border Collie-Australian Shepherd got through the family's gate and got hit by a truck in the neighborhood.

Sergeant First Class Kevin Hughes and his family got Blitz about nine months ago through the Wounded Warriors program. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hughes suffers from PTSD and anxiety and is training Blitz to help with his therapy.

"He can sense when people are stressed," Hughes explained. "When I get stressed he'll jump in my lap."

For the first time in his life, though, Blitz isn't able to help his family. Instead, they're doing their best to help him heal.

The force of the car could have killed Blitz.

"It broke his pelvis from his spine, pushed his hip forward, and caused even more damage," Hughes said.

Blitz is more than a service dog — he's part of the family, like another child. And it's painful for them to imagine how close they came to losing him.

"I was just kind of like in disbelief and a panic," said Amy Hughes, Kevin's wife. "I just couldn't believe - because he was in the yard and then he wasn't in the yard."

Amy rushed Blitz to the emergency animal hospital, where veterinarians explained his dire situation.

"The state he was in was bad enough that they wouldn't have argued with us if we wanted to put him down," Hughes said.

Veterinarians at the Mannford Animal Clinic say Blitz is recovering wonderfully, but he'll have to be under intensive care for quite some time.

It will be expensive, but the family says they're willing to pay, whatever the cost.

"As soon as we got together, it was like we were meant to be together," Hughes said.

If you'd like to help the family with Blitz's medical expenses, visit their GoFundMe page or donate directly to the Mannford Animal Clinic by calling them at (918) 865-4733. The clinic is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.