Haven't had to have surgery for our dog, but my wife's cat tore his ACL. The surgery was successful, but he wasn't a high jumper afterward. He used to be able to get up on the bathroom counter with ease before the surgery, but after he was pretty much only jumping onto the couch. As far as his gait was concerned, he didn't have a limp and could still get around rather quickly when he needed to.
Sorry I couldn't give you much to go on for your dog, but like you, there was never a question for us about not getting the surgery done when it happened.