Boone tore his ACL when he was about 7 or 8. He got the surgery to repair it and it was fine. Honestly, I waited too long to do the surgery. I kept hoping it would heal on its own, but by waiting, I allowed him to slow down more than he would have if I had done it right away. Lesson learned.
The surgery was much easier than I had read about. I picked him up and he was walking (limping) already. The recovery takes a few months, but the focus is more holding him back from running and jumping, rather than him building up to it. We needed to have slow controlled walks so that he would use both legs equally and not favor the stronger leg. It was ok until a squirrel ran by!
Overall, very helpful surgery and I would recommend it sooner rather than later.