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The story from KPHO Channel 5, dated January 24:

PHOENIX (CBS5) -

A severely injured miniature pinscher is improving but still faces an uphill struggle and the amputation of at least one of her legs.

The "min-pin" named Emmie was brought to the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control with open wounds and broken legs with the intent it was to be euthanized.

But the dog received a blood transfusion, which doubled her red blood cell count, and produced better results than expected, according to Carrie Singer who runs Animal Guardian Network, a nonprofit pet rescue and rehabilitation organization based in Cave Creek.

Veterinarians said the dog's failing kidney function was caused by a rotting leg that was scheduled to be amputated Thursday afternoon.

Singer updated her Facebook post on Thursday morning:

After discussing with the vets this morning it was confirmed that Emmie's struggling kidneys are due to her rotting leg. So the need for amputation surgery has been escalated to top priority. Emmie's surgery is scheduled for this afternoon. Once she is under anesthesia the surgeon will determine if he will be able to correct the other leg that is fractured at the same time or most likely have to do it separately.

Emmie is not giving up so we are not giving up on her. We need you to help us continue fighting for Emmie. Her surgeries will run us close to $5,000 of which we've received only $500. We desperately need your donations now. Please donate at animalguardiannetwork.org and please share this with everyone. THANK YOU!

It appeared the dog was hit by a car Monday, and her owners surrendered her to be euthanized when they could not afford to have her injuries treated by a veterinarian.

A caring county worker noticed the sweet disposition of the dog and decided to send out an alert to rescue organizations to see if the dog could be saved.

Singer got the alert and went into action.

"I put that out on Facebook and got somebody who was willing to foster," said Singer.

The foster family picked up Emmie and took her to an urgent care facility in Phoenix and paid for her to stay the night. It was touch-and-go.

Tuesday, Singer had Emmie transferred to Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, an animal hospital that works closely with her organization. There veterinarians said her condition was grave.

Singer said veterinarians at the 24-hour clinic said the dog appears to have been suffering with the injuries without treatment for up to three weeks. Her wounds are infected, and there's already calcium buildup around the breaks in her legs.

"If she would have gotten medical attention immediately, I think things wouldn't be as bad as they are now. Urgent critical care and hospitalization for several days can cost several thousand dollars," said Rob Graham, the clinical manager of Animal Health Services.

Singer's organization is a nonprofit that operates solely on donations.

Doctors say the next 24 to 48 hours will be crucial to Emmie's survival. If she does pull through, Singer will assure she gets a good home.

"After she's done being rehabilitated from her surgical procedures, she'll be up for adoption. We'll be looking for the perfect home to love her the way she deserves to be loved," said Singer.

If you want to help, you can contact the nonprofit group Animal Guardian Network at animalguardiannetwork.org or call them at 480-488-9298.

looks good on purple, doesn't he? :)

This is a mixed metal pendant which consists of copper, brass and sterling silver. I hammered various textures on each layer, and antiqued only the sterling disk. I hand formed the copper wire and work hardened it by hammering. The chain is copper and sterling silver; the clasp is hand forged by me, of sterling silver wire. The necklace measures 17 1/2", additionally, the pendant hangs an additional 3".

I used exquisite tanzanite gemstone rondelles on one half of this bracelet... with the other half being sterling silver beads strung onto 2mm Greek rolled leather. A swarovski crystal heart suspends as a very sparkly dangle. The clasp is a hand forged hook and eye, made from sterling wire. Length of this bracelet is 7 3/4".

A bit of information about tanzanite:
It is one of the world's rarest gems, with only one source in the world for Tanzanite. This source is almost mined out and there is growing speculation that Tanzanite is about to become extinct.

I used blue pietersite coin shaped stones to go with the lovely aquamarine - both blues look great together and would match casual or dress clothing. Sterling silver bead caps and swarovski crystals finish off the bracelet. The clasp is a sterling silver "s" hook, and the length of this bracelet measures 8".