Vickroy: Ruff Ruff on the mend after house fire

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Dr. Cynthia Cecott, of Veterinary Clinic of Tinley Park, has been caring for Tom Zeilenga's dog Ruff Ruff, which was severely burned in a fire that destroyed Zeilenga's home in Wilmington. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Want to help?

Donate to Ruff Ruff’s care by visiting pawstinleypark.org/news.html.

A “Boogie Nights” fundraiser, featuring an appearance by Ruff Ruff, will be at 6 p.m. March 30 at the Orland Chateau, 14500 S. LaGrange Road. For more information, call (815) 464-7298 or visit pawstinley
park.org.

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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:07AM

Don’t let the pink spots of healing flesh, the tattered ears and the square bandage across her back fool you. Ruff Ruff is every bit an energetic, curious pup, one with a compulsion to chew just about anything to pieces.

True, the Catahoula Leopard has seen more horror in her short nine months than most dogs see in a lifetime. But toss her a ball and she’s ready to go.

“Her spirits are really good,” said Cynthia Cecott, the Tinley Park veterinarian who’s been tending to Ruff Ruff’s third-degree burns.

And her prognosis also is good.

“I expect her to make a full recovery in four to eight more weeks,” Cecott said. “It’s a big help that she’s a puppy. She’s healing really fast.”

About 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day, a fire broke out in Tom Zeilenga’s Wilmington home. He was in Chicago for the night, but his three dogs were trapped inside the burning house.

Neighbor Steve Stachowiak heard a loud pop, looked out his back window and saw the reflection of the flames on the Kankakee River, which backs up to both properties.

He ran over to Zeilenga’s house and began breaking windows, hoping to rescue Tom and his pets.

Daisy, the 5-year-old, was the first to escape. Zeilenga had trained her to run out of the house whenever she heard the smoke alarm. Next out was 3-year-old Izzy.

Finally, Stachowiak was able to lure Ruff Ruff, who’d been with the family for only two months, from the burning building. She took off, on fire, down the street. Neighbors later found her hiding under a porch.

Ruff Ruff was taken to Animal Emergency of Mokena and, a couple of days later, moved to Cecott’s office. The treatment called for plasma, saline and a morphine drip, as well as hydrotherapy, light laser therapy and sedatives. Ruff Ruff continues to take antibiotics and spends part of each weekday with Cecott.

Her paws were burned so badly that the pads were completely gone. Pieces of her ears eventually fell off. Thermal burns are like that, the effects showing up days, even weeks, after the event. The gaping wound on her back would take the longest to heal. But her eyes, about which Cecott worried, would be OK.

The cost for such treatments left Zeilenga in a tough spot. Just about everything he had was destroyed in the blaze. He, Daisy and Izzy are living with a sister. Ruff Ruff is staying with another sister, Tammy Butler, in Orland Park. Butler’s dog sitter brings the recovering canine to Cecott’s each afternoon for treatments and checkups.

On the weekends, Zeilenga, a tool and die maker, gets all the dogs together for a play session.

He hopes to rebuild on the same property.

“My neighbors are the best,” he said. “They saved my dogs’ lives.”

Enter Peoples Animal Welfare Society in Tinley Park. The shelter has been collecting donations on Ruff Ruff’s behalf. Ruff Ruff made an appearance at a recent roller-skating fundraiser, and she will be the guest of honor at the organization’s “Boogie Nights,” a ’70s-themed dinner/dance on March 30. At that event, PAWS will issue Zeilenga a check for Ruff Ruff’s medical expenses.

Zeilenga already is returning the favor. He’s been volunteering at the shelter twice a week.

“Hope I don’t come home with another dog,” he said, chuckling.

“Everyone has been so helpful,” he said. “I have to give back. I have a soft heart.”

Ruff Ruff is Cecott’s first serious burn victim.

“Animals can’t rationalize and say, ‘Why me?’ ” Cecott said. “They take everything in stride, much better than people do. That tends to help with their recovery.”

It also helps, she said, that Ruff Ruff has a tremendously good temperament.

That amazes Zeilenga.

He rescued her through Catahoula Rescue when she was 6 months old. Prior to that, she’d been living in an abusive home. Ruff Ruff had been living with Zeilenga for only two months when the fire broke out.

Though traumatizing, Zeilenga said, the experience has helped his youngest pet grow and develop social skills.

“She was kind of skittish,” Zeilenga said. “Now she’s so easygoing. She walks right up to people and is like, ‘Dude, pet me.’ ”