I went through the exact same thing with my mutt a while back. She was a jumper and liked to go after frisbees. This blew out both knees. Decided to go with what they call a TPLO which is what I think you're referring to with the "notch and plate" arrangement.
If you go this route, get ready for at least 4k in bills, lots of care, lots of time in re-hab, etc... I also sent her to a company called "vet-hab" where they put her on an underwater treadmill a couple times a week for therapy. Swimming is also good and also you might have to construct an obsticle course out of cones and PVC pipes to build strength and agility.
She got through all this fine but unfortunately, died a few years later due to unrelated cancerous tumors.
I have never regretted the expense of the surgery because she gave back so much more in love than the money is worth. If you have any more questions I will be glad to assist.
On a dog I think the ACL is a CCL (cranial crucial ligament) since he's horizontal...
