Does it matter if your tripawd is no longer here… or do they only want to hear current success stories?

Angel Jake and Wolfie's Mom

Shelby is a Florida Tripawd…….how can we help?

In April 2010, I was asked by my local golden rescue if I would hospice-foster a 5 year old golden girl with an inoperable tumor.  Of course, I said "yes".  As the days went by, I began to question "why can't we amputate her leg if it will sawe her life?"  Thankfully, rescue listened and on July 2, 2010, Shelby officially become a Tripawd.

Thanks to my online friends at Tripawds.com, I was prepared for the rough first two weeks…..and that they were.  But once the two week period passed and her stitches were removed, Shelby became a new dog in each and every sense of the word.

And she continues to amaze me nearly 7 months later…….

She jumps, she runs…….she runs faster than my dogs with FOUR legs.  Her zest for life is unbelievable and her joy at  being alive is an inspiration.  Recent tests and radiographs confirmed that she is still cancer-free!  Were this to change tomorrow, however, I would not once regret the decision to amputate her front leg.  While she lost a leg, she gained her life back…..and my Tropical Storm  Shelby continues to be a force of nature!

Alexander is a Great Dane. He is extremely tall, 39" at the shoulder! He is four years old and was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in July of 2010. He was amputated and treated with four rounds of chemotherapy. I am not sure if we ever would have made it through this disease without tripawds.com. From reading blogs, posts, articles and Jerry's Required Reading, we were prepared for the hardships of the first few weeks after surgery. Though reading about the difficulties and experiencing them are two very different things, we were able to give Alexander the best possible care.

After Alexander recovered, he was just as good as before surgery. He has always been a social dog and loves going out to parks, beaches and yappy hours. Without the surgery he would never have been able to do any of those things again, for fear of his tumor-riddled leg breaking. As a tripawd, Alexander has been able to enjoy everything he did before the big "C" showed up in his life. Everybody that sees him says he could have been born a three-legger! The funniest thing to us is when strangers encounter him, the first thing they remark on is his size, the next is how beautiful he is and the last is, "Wow, he only has three legs!"

Today, Alexander is declining rapidly. He is still a happy boy with a healthy apetite, but he is getting weaker. The cancer has returned, not only in his lungs, but through his whole body.

Alexanders life is not about the cancer. It is not even about being a tripawd. It is about being an amazing dog that touches EVERY person that meets him. The look on a person's face when they see him for the first time. The joy one feels when he rubs his massive head on you. The gentleness of this giant sweet boy. The goofyness of how he runs in circles and barks at nothing in particular. Alexander's life is about the smiles he brings us EVERY day. About how a drive for life can make one dog overcome the loss of a leg, chemotherapy, and still be one happy dog. Alexander's life is about pure, unconditional love.