Cory Eagles has risen to the challenge of giving a puppy recuperating from surgery what he needs to heal. 

Rosco is a nine-month-old Newfoundland puppy who, after a hip operation, needed a place to swim for water therapy. 

His owner, Stacey Butler, says Rosco needed access to an indoor pool four times a week for six weeks so he could get strong enough for a second operation.  

“Swimming is pretty much the best hope he has for building up the muscle enough so they can operate on the other side,” says Butler.

The Moncton resident wrote an ad on Kijiji seeking help and Rosco’s story spread quickly on social media. However, despite 25,000 views and hundreds of supportive emails, Butler was still no further ahead.

That is, until Eagles watched CTV Atlantic’s report about Rosco while working in Alberta. 

“I saw the CTV News clip shortly after online and kind of paid a little more attention,” says Eagles. “I realized that no one had stepped up to help them, yet figured there must be something I can do.”

Along with his dad, some generous suppliers and a week’s worth of work, Eagles built an indoor pool for Rosco.

“Donations and help and my father helped me put it together,” says Eagles.  “Probably, roughly a dozen people.” 

“[Rosco] goes every second or third day,” says Butler. “Afterwards, he is sore so he needs a couple of days to recuperate and build the muscle. That is what the time does.”

But like any post-op period, time is exactly what Rosco needs to get strong enough for his second operation.

“Right now, he’s only ever in the pool for no more than 15 seconds and then he is out,” Butler continues. “Now, as he gets stronger, it will remain 15 seconds, but he will make more trips to the pool to build his tolerance.”

As Rosco makes baby steps towards a recovery, Butler says she is grateful for Eagles’ work.

“He is not really a stranger anymore. We really, actually in a short period of time, [became] pretty good friends, so I could never repay him,” she says.

“I have said thank you a million times to him. I sound like a broken record and I will probably say it a million more, but really I can’t thank him enough.”

Eagles was presented with CTV News at 5's Maritimer of the Week award for helping Rosco.

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell