PACIFIC GRIVE -- A Pacific Grove homeless animal organization Thursday issued a pulbic plea for paying for the $1,500 surgery of Saucy, a 1-year-old Beagle and Chihuahua mix struck by a car in Salinas about a week ago.

The brown-black stray suffered two broken bones in her abdomen after being hit by a car in the streets of Salinas, Carie Broecker, executive director of the Animal Friends Rescue Project, said Wednesday.

Someone brought the injured puppy to the City of Salinas Animal Shelter early last week. After the bylaw mandated five-day probation period, the time owners have to claim their pets, the shelter contacted Animal Friends Rescue Project to see whether the organization could raise the needed funds for surgery.

If not, Saucy would have to be euthanized, Broecker said.

"The shelter doesn't have the funding available to give anything beyond $75 per animal," Broecker said. "So they contact rescue groups to take them on."

When the cost becomes too steep for the rescue groups - usually at or above $1,000 - most, including Animal Friends Rescue Project, turn to the community, Broecker said.

So far no funds have been raised, and the group needs $1,500 to pay for the two surgeries needed to mend Saucy's stomach, Broecker said. Usually a pelvis injury can be treated with rest, but in Saucy's case the bone is so severed she would need metal plating to reaffix it, Broecker said.

The original estimate topped $4,000, but Samaritan vet Anndrea Fling of All Pets Animal Hospital in Salinas has offered to perform the surgery for about one-third of the regular cost.

"She's an absolutely remarkable vet," Broecker said. "She does a lot of rescue work on her own."

Fling said she's willing to reduce her vet fees "as a community service to help out."

Still, Saucy needs the community to help foot the bill or she risks being put to sleep just like an estimated 5,000 other dogs and cats are each year in Monterey County, Broecker said.

Saucy is staying at the All Pets Animal Hospital, where Fling is tending to her medical needs until the surgeries can be performed. She can't walk and has been on pain medication since she arrived at the Salinas shelter.

Once her surgery is completed, Broecker said the organization would put her up for adoption. Fling has agreed to allow Saucy to stay at the hospital for free while she recovers post-surgery. Animal hospitalization is generally "very expensive," Broecker said.

Saucy would most likely be unable to walk for two weeks post-surgery, after which she is expected to recover within six weeks.

Her adopters would need to visit Fling weekly for six weeks, Broecker said.

"She's just a young, adorable dog that needs our help," Broecker said.

For information on how to donate call: Carie Broecker, Animal Friends Rescue Project at (831) 372-5169 or (831) 601-4253.