Dog hurt in Los Angeles police chase ready to go home

LOS ANGELES -- Gordo, the little white dog that gained national attention after being seriously hurt during a police chase, is ready to go home.

Veterinarians were able to save one of the Maltese mix's back legs, which was nearly severed when a stolen van hit him while evading police in South Los Angeles.

The dog had surgery the next day and came through the operation "like a rock star," Dr. Annie Lo said.

Surgeon Kim Carey told CBS Los Angeles on Monday she's amazed by how well Gordo has recovered.

"He's starting to use his leg nicely. He still has good neurologic function of his leg. So, all in all, he's doing really well. He's recovered nicely eating and drinking really well," Carey said at a news conference, admitting she was surprised Gordo's leg was salvageable.

"The more we looked at at surgery and on the X-rays, the more astonished I was by it. It was this very clean slice that had it gone a little bit further it would have severed his leg completely," she explained.

Within minutes of the crash, Gordo was a trending topic on Twitter, CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan reported. The hashtag #savethewhitedog even beat out the Los Angeles Angels winning the American League West.

Donations to help pay for his treatment flooded in from across the country.

"I think we have enough for vet bills but he is going to need quite a bit of rehab and we plan on transferring funds there so that he can get that care as well," Carey said. "Our goal get him to walk on all fours, and so physical therapy probably will consist of some weight-shifting activity where we try to get him to bear weight on his operated limb."

The driver of the van involved in the pursuit, identified as 21-year-old Yovani Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to charges of fleeing a peace officer's vehicle, driving recklessly, driving (or taking) a vehicle without consent, as well as one count of hit-and-run resulting in property damage.

He was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the Los Angeles County's District Attorney's Office.