Good evening everyone!  First, I am so excited to have found a community where I can get ideas, share stories and find help!  Little Brigh (pronounced "Bree"), a wonderfully cute and very spirited 3-month old apricot toy poodle, joined our family this past weekend after our local animal control folks found him wondering about the streets with a compound fracture of his left front leg.  The leg had gone completely necrotic which indicated that Brigh had been in this condition for quite some time.  Because the leg was not in any condition to be saved, our county shelter (Foothills Animal Shelter) made the critical decision to remove the leg.  As they were working on this little guy, I received a call from the shelter to see if I could foster him (I have done some critical needs fostering in the past...but generally these were severe abuse cases with some deep emotional scars).  I immediately said yes and took receipt of little Brigh.  The first couple of days were spent safe in his kennel, but it quickly became apparent that Brigh will not be slowed down by a silly old missing leg!!  He loves running and chasing toys, and I can happily report that his teeth work just fine (those sharp puppy teeth are brutal)!! His spirit and obvious joy for life has won over this crusty old heart and I have made the decision to make him a permanent part of the family!  With this decision comes the desire to learn as much as possible about the best ways to help Brigh live a long and healthy life...hence my joy at finding this community!!