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Maintaining the Tripawds community takes time and money, but in the spirit of supporting pawrents in need, we don’t charge a membership fee.

Long time Tripawds members recall that we hold a yearly fundraising campaign to help offset our out-of-pocket expenses. But this year, we’re doing something different. There will be no weekly appeals, no Chip In Widget, nothing.

Instead of a fundraising campaign, we’re asking you to do whatever you can to help us avoid future fundraising campaigns. There are many ways to help your community:

Direct Support

• Become a Tripawds Supporter by upgrading your Three Legged Dog Blog
• Show your support with an ongoing Tripawds subscription for as low as $5
• Make a gift of any amount on our Support Page

Give Tripawds Gifts

• Name Your Price for a Tripawds bandanna to help spread the word
• Buy a custom holiday heirloom ornament made by Tripawds member ET Gayle and Sister Charon
• Feature your Tripawd in a custom version of the Tripawd Heroes book
• Give a copy of Tripawd Heroes to the special people who’ve helped you in your  journey
• Visit the Tripawds Etsy Shop to order and give handmade Tripawds necklaces

Start Your Internet Shopping Here

• Shop for anything through our affiliate partners
• Visit and order from our Gear, Nutrition, Downloads or Gifts blog
• Begin your Internet shopping here in our Amazon blog

Spread the Word

• Download Tripawds promotional materials and spread the word at pet supply shops, dog parks and more! Spirit Hope’s Mom Barb, in Cincinnati is doing this, ask her how!

We hope these suggestions can help us reach the amount we raised during last year’s fundraising campaign. We don’t like asking for help, but keeping this community going takes money and time that affiliate advertisements alone don’t support.

Remember, your generous gifts of any amount will keep the lights on in the Tripawds doghouse. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support, Tripawds wouldn’t exist without your help!

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All Tripawds members know about the emotional toll of high vet bills. Which is why a recent surge of personal fundraising appeals by new members has prompted us to implement this official fundraising request policy here, and on our Facebook page.

“The Tripawds Blogs community along with the Tripawds Facebook Page welcomes questions, advice, photos, videos and progress reports from all three legged dogs and their people. However, personal fundraising requests for purposes or organizations not endorsed by the Tripawds community will be removed without notice. Such pleas for help distract from our mission, which is to inform & educate while providing a platform of emotional support for all members.”

Why are we implementing this policy? Because Tripawds must remain a safe, welcoming, guilt-free haven for all members and guests. Nothing should ever intrude on this space, and we can’t play favorites by allowing some members to solicit financial help when others have refrained from doing so despite their own hardships. Others have indicated they feel these solicitations are inappropriate.

Such pleas for help will be reserved to support causes for the greater good – like keeping Tripawds online, and supporting the efforts of other animal welfare organizations.

Where to Turn to For Help

If members need financial assistance, there are several resources where financially distressed individuals can apply to. Please see: Tips and Resources: Resources to Help Pay for Canine Cancer Care

We hope the following clarifies our position on various types of fundraising appeals:

Tripawds Dog Blogs’ Personal Fundraising Appeals

Tripawds prohibits Chip-In widgets, PayPal buttons and other fundraising devices to be installed directly on Tripawds three legged dog blogs. Should members choose to conduct their own personal fundraising campaigns, we suggest doing so via ChipIn.com, a Facebook page or personal website. Announcements and links to fundraising pages may be included in posts on Tripawds Blogs, as long as funds are not received via the blog interface.

Official Tripawds Causes & Fundraising Appeals

Tripawds often supports organizations we believe in (and receive no financial compensation in return), such as Morris Animal Foundation and 2MillionDogs.org. We will continue to periodically select organizations like these that promote canine health and will occasionally conduct short fundraising campaigns on behalf of these groups.

If a member wants to help another great canine cause and tell the Tripawds community about their fundraising efforts, please contact Admin or Jerry first to ensure that the campaign fits within our mission statement.

Appeals for Fun, Games and Miscellaneous Dog-Related Organizations

If you’re participating in a “Make my Dog a Star!” type of promotional contest and you want to ask Tripawds members to vote for your pup, that’s fine as long as it’s not request for money. If the contest will generate funds for a canine cause (such as 2 Million Dogs’ calendar contest), please be sure to indicate such, providing details about how the funds will be used.

Tripawds.com’s Annual Fundraising Campaign Appeals

To keep this community online, Tripawds conducts an annual fundraising campaign to help defray hosting and maintenance costs. Without these campaigns, Tripawds would not exist as you know it now.

Until such a time when Supporter subscriptions, product sales and affiliate commissions compensate for our endless volunteer hours and out-of-pocket expenses, Tripawds will continue promoting this campaign on an annual basis. We promise, however, to clearly indicate where funding goes, keep solicitations to a minimum, and never spam or harass members for contributions.

If you have any comments or concerns about this policy, please let us know. We thank you for being understanding about this and sincerely appreciate your support!

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Over the years, members have told us how useful Tripawds.com is for them. Some have generously given to this community, and many more ask what they can do to help out.

To answer this question, we created the “How to Support the Tripawds Community” page. This is where we describe how members can help support our efforts to keep Tripawds online. For example:

• Shopping in our Featured Blogs
• Subscribe as a Tripawds Blogs Supporter
• Naming Your Price for a “Tripawds Rule!” Bandanna
• Starting an Automatic Gift Subscription from $5 on Up

From sharing what you know about canine amputation to throwing a bone in the Tripawds Tip Jar, all of these contributions will help the community thrive (like the recent site upgrade to improve performance).

Never in a million years would we have thought that one little blog about my bone cancer journey would create such a supportive community, both online and offline.

Today, it’s a 24/7 labor of love for my pawrents, who don’t get paid to bring you the information, resources and infrastructure you know as Tripawds.com.

They get a lot of personal satisfaction out of doing what they do, but unfortunately that doesn’t cover the costs of keeping us going.

Whatever and however you can chip in is greatly appreciated and may be able to help us avoid future fundraising campaigns.

If you’re already here, you’re well aware that once you go down the Tripawd path, nothing is ever the same. Thank you for being here to hold the hands and paws of old, new and future members. Together, we’ll make sure that nobody has to hop this road alone.

Canine Health Resort is a healing center for dogs who are recovering from major medical procedures at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital (and other local providers).

Founded by Connie Fredman in 2006, this specialty facility provides rest, relaxation and rehabilitation in a down-home environment for dogs who live too far away to commute back and forth for care at this world-famous institution.

Not Your Vet’s Recovery Ward

Set among 75 pastoral, fenced acres with shade trees, a pond, places to explore and a cozy farmhouse where dogs rule, Canine Health Resort is dramatically different from the sterile cages, cold floors and fluorescent lighting found in veterinary recovery wards.

Patients spend days or weeks with Fredman while recovering from conditions like paralysis or amputation surgery. Some are receiving chemotherapy treatments or getting daily rehabilitation therapy. Others have come from as far away as Alaska for the care that Fredman, a 25-year veteran in animal health care, provides.

She’s a regular Florence Nightingale for dogs, handling everything from picking up patients at the airport, to giving daily medications, to driving them to their appointments. Patients of all ages reside in her fully carpeted, handicapped-equipped home and receive all the care they need for a great recovery.

Patients are Loved, but Not Babied

While residents are given lots of TLC and 24/7 care, they are also expected to adhere to the rules of the pack, and quickly learn to fit in with the other patients. Fredman is strict about house rules, which include no free-feeding, and no chasing after the resident cats.

Fredman runs her facility like this because doesn’t believe in babying or humanizing dogs. Doing so can hinder recovery, she says.

“They don’t think the way we do, we can’t baby them,” she advises canine pawrents. “The sooner they’re up, the better they’re going to recover.”

While many pawrents want to sleep on the floor with their Tripawd after amputation surgery, Fredman advises against it.

Just as when human patients have back surgery and are made to start walking the next day, Fredman says this kind of approach is also the best way to get Tripawds to start living life on three legs.

“The dog has to become independent again,” she says. Live your life as you normally do, and if you think you need to sleep on the floor because you’re worried he will have to eliminate in the middle of the night and might need your help, sleep in your own bed but set your alarm clock and then see if he has to go.

The Secret to a Good Recovery

One of the secrets to a good recovery is to find out what motivates your dog to walk and feel good again, and use that as much as you can during recovery.

From car rides to ice cream, the things that lift your dog’s spirit will also help speed up healing, Fredman says.

She also advises Tripawd pawrents to explore rehabilitation therapy, and says that Cosequin and Dasuqin can help prevent and alleviate arthritis related to a Tripawd’s physique.

We hope that more providers like Fredman will pop up around the country, so that more dogs can have access to a higher level of veterinary care when they need it.

Until then, if you’ve ever considered having your Tripawd treated at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital but thought you lived too far away, think again; Canine Health Resort can help make that dream a reality!

Canine Health Resort

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One of the reasons we wholeheartedly support Morris Animal Foundation and encourage people to participate in their Canine Cancer Campaign Walks is to enable Morris studies like the MADGiC Project (Making Advanced Discoveries in Golden Cancers).

This three-year, $1 million dollar study is is part of Morris’ Canine Cancer Campaign, a worldwide effort to prevent, treat and cure this disease in dogs.

Morris has selected Goldens for this study because as one of the most popular breeds in America, Goldens also have a 60 percent chance of being diagnosed with cancer. Hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma account for more than 30 percent of deaths in Goldens. The relationship between Goldens’ genetic traits and their susceptibility to cancer is still unknown.

Eventually, Morris says that “the results of this study will be of interest to all dog owners because these cancers affect every breed and cause the deaths of tens of thousands of dogs each year.”

The study is being led by world-renowned cancer researchers Dr. Jaime Modiano, from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Matthew Breen at North Carolina State University and Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT and Uppsala University, Sweden. Together they will “investigate mutations that are involved in risk and progression of hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma.”

Morris encourages owners of Goldens diagnosed with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma to participate in this research by working with their veterinarian to donate a small tumor and/or blood sample. Additionally, blood samples from healthy Goldens over 12 years of age are also needed.

For more information, visit www.breenlab.org, www.modianolab.org and www.dogdna.org, or contact Rhonda Hovan at rhondahovan@aol.com or 330.668.0044.

Since 1948, Morris has funded more than 148 succesful canine cancer studies, such as;

• Research that showed how bone cancer spreads
• Ways to custom tailor chemotherapy
• How chemo resistant cancer cells behave

The Canine Cancer walks help raise money so Morris can continue these breakthrough discoveries.

Chloe’s Mom made a custom Tripawd Chloe T-shirt to wear during the walk, and offered to include the names of Tripawd heroes past and present on the back. She is now up to 60 names and has room for more, so be sure to contact her if you want your cancer hero’s name on it.

And whether or not you’re walking in Los Gatos, you can walk with Team Tripawds in spirit, by ordering your own Team Tripawds shirt. Chloe’s very special “Inspawration Comes Standard” Tripawds Tribute T-shirt is now available in the Tripawds Gift Shop.

We hope you’ll join us on Sunday, October 10. Walk with us in pawson, or in spirit, by supporting Team Tripawds Cancer Walk Goal and our ongoing efforts to assist the Morris Animal Foundation, today!

Name your price and get your snazzy Tripawds Rule bandanna.

Vote for Tripawds in the “How Do You .com?” Contest every day

Write to Ellen De Generes and tell her how Tripawds has rocked your world.

Any amount of time or bones you can help out with is most appreciated!

Meanwhile, in the last two weeks, lots of folks have helped us get closer to our goal.

Remember, pawrents who give more than $50 qualify for a  special thank you video from Comet, such as:

Catie and Riley who went out on the town to celebrate Catie’s seven month ampuversary, while their Mom, Carmen, generously gave to the campaign again!

Carmen’s thoughtful gift resulted in this fabulous video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tripawd Mom Kat (aka: janeothejungle), pawrent to Hurricane Rosie,  also gave a super fabulous gift that qualifies her for a video.

Ginger’s folks, Randy and Sharon, stopped by with a thoughtful gift to the campaign, and they’ll get a SmartyPants Production video too!

Spirit Paris’ Mom, Ginny (aka: gineej), joined in with a generous gift that qualifes her for a memorial tribute video of Paris.

And last but definitely not least, Tripawds’ favorite veterinarian, Dr. Pam (aka: tazziedog) also gave generously and will receive a tribute video for Spirit Tazzie.

Whew, Comet is gonna be busy! Thanks Comet!

Many thanks to Nancy (aka: nstephenson) and the rest of James The Poodle’s pack for their recent contribution and for upgrading James’ three legged poodle blog with a Tripawds Supporter Subscription!

Kathy, Mom to Tripawd Duncan, a Saint Bernard who courageously faced amputation after being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, also sent a thoughtful gift.

Tripawds Friend Sandy helped too. She coordinates the Canine Cancer Walk for the Morris Animal Foundation in California, so let’s all show our appreciation to her by joining Team Tripawds for October’s Northern California Canine Cancer Walk!

And a special thanks goes out Darlinda, Mom to Tripawd Spirit Daisy, for her second Tasha Challenge subscription payment.

We are honored by the generosity of our Tripawds family, and thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for helping us get closer to our goal so we can keep this community alive!

Just a few more weeks to go, and we’ll call this campaign done. Whatever you can spare, even a few bones, can help us get there sooner!

Thank you!!!

Each week since we began this campaign on June 13, we have been touched by the kindness of the people and pups of Tripawds.

And please remember, for anyone who wishes they could help but are going through hard times, remember, you can help!

Just give a moment of your time to

tell Ellen DeGeneres how this community has helped you, and vote for Spirit Jerry’s story in the “How do You .com?” contest!

Win an Autographed Copy: Guardians of Being

Did you know that your $50 gift (or more) will enter you in a drawing for an autographed copy of Guardians of Being, the insightful book by Patrick McDonnell and Eckhart Tolle? Just contribute $50 or more to our 2010 Tripawds Community Campaign!

This powerful book with words by Eckhart Tolle is a passionate, humorous, enlightening meditation on the power and grace that animals can bring into our daily lives, and we’re sure you’ll love it. Patrick signed the book for one lucky Tripawds contributor when we met him at the Tattered Cover in Denver.

Are You Ready for Your Close Up?

For every gift over $50, Tripawds member Cometdog will make you a a free custom video all about YOU! CometDog is itching to make custom videos of our Tripawds, so Chip in today!

Kathleen Mcachran, Mom to new Tripawd Ajax, chipped in, and qualified Ajax for a custom SmartyPants video from cometdog. We can’t wait to see how city dog Ajax lives life in the big city!

Paul just joined us this week, when he found out that his beloved pup Bronson has bone cancer. He doesn’t know if Bronson is an amputation candidate, but regardless, he gave generously to the campaign. Thank you Paul!

Ginger’s pack, Annie and Brian, also qualify for a smarty pants video! They sent us a touching letter that said:

“Knowing that we do not have to take this journey alone has been a great comfort to us. But not only that, we have made some great new friends, learned how to care for our tripawd in the best way and most importantly laughed and cried along with the greatest group of 2,3 and 4 legged creatures there are!

We hope our donation helps you spread the word about Tripawds so other families can become part of our special family and find solace in the tough times they may be facing.”

Now, please join me in congratulatory applawse to more generous contributors of the week . . .

Dawn Original Idea

Just yesterday, Tripawds member Dawn, mom to Miles, Spirit Raven and Betty, made this unique offer:

“I will donate $100 to the campaign in memory of Raven, if I can get help getting the blog started.”

Since Miles was our first Tripawd Rescue, we happily took Dawn up on that offer, and set up Miles’ blog. Read how he made it from New Mexico to California here. Dawn chipped in today.

More Applawse

Our dear friend Shahrzad, founder of Career Consulting Services, recently lost her longtime feline companion, Bell. Shahrzad chose to honor Bell’s memory, with a gift to our campaign:

“Dear Rene, Jim, Wyatt & Spirit Jerry, Please accept this small gift in memory of Bell, my sweet feline angel. He passed away this week. I thought of you and your love and courage when I had to say good-bye to him.”

The Tasha Challenge Continues!

Many thanks also to Tripawd Mom Leslie Cline, along her with Roxy and Dakota (aka: lesliec), for taking the Tasha Challenge! Leslie opted to generously subscribe, won’t you?

It’s easy; subscribe for an auto-renewing contribution at levels to meet your budget; either $25, $50 or $150 per month, for four months straight.

This safe and secure PayPal subscription will end after four months. Take Tasha’s Challenge Today!

And once again, our friend Diane, mom to Spirit Magic the Wolf Dog, gave to the campaign again! We can’t thank her enough for her ongoing generosity.

Now, is there anyone out there who wants to chip in too?

“There’s only us, there’s only this.

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

No other road, no other way.

No day but today.”

We’d like to start by thanking our contributors for the week:

• Mojo and Alex
• Spirit Tehya and Darlene
• Spirit Chaser and Mom, Kelly
• Kona Kai Cattledog and Mom Denise
• Maggie the Agile Cow Dog, and Tracy
• Storm, in honor of Koda’s 12 month ampuversary
• Spirit Magic, Spirit OJ, Whiskey, Casper and Diane (again!)

Fifty Bones Gets You a Custom Smarty Pants Video

Don’t forget a $50 gift will get you a Custom SmartyPants Production Video. Generous pawrents who took advantage of it this week include:

The Pugapalooza Pack: Spirit Maggie, Tani, Obie and Mom Karen, qualified for a Smartypants video. They contributed in honor of everyone who attended the July 10th Northern California Pawty “and in memory of Maximutt, Miss Cherry, Caira Sue, Tazzie two, Maggie and Jerry.”

Tripawd Charlie and Tammy, who says: “This is for a cool video, the $10 a head donation for the Madison party, and to pay my respects for the sack machine: Jared Allen.”

And finally, Wendy Grigg also gave big, and received this beautiful tribute video of Henri in return:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fortis and Tasha Want You to Challenge Yourself!

Fortis’ Grandma Fay challenges all Grand Tripawrents to donate .50 cents per pound of their favorite Tripawds weight! Oh, she said why not just round up the Texas way while yer at it! Here’s an example:

Dog A has a body weight of 62 pounds

62 times .5 = 31, which when rounded up equals $50 bucks! And that qualifies you for a Custom SmartyPants Production Video!

Trucker Tasha’s Challenge

Tasha wants everypawdy  to contribute $ 50 dollars a month for the next four months. It’s easy to do it! All you need to do is subscribe for an auto-renewing contribution at levels to meet your budget; either $25, $50 or $150 per month. This safe and secure PayPal subscription will end after four months. Take Tasha’s Challenge Today!

Other Ways to Help

We know that funds are tight for everyone, and if you cannot give this time we totally understand. But there are other ways you can help!

Please vote for Tripawds daily in the How do you. com? contest!

Or, join the campaign to tell Ellen DeGeneres how much Tripawds has helped you, and ask her to help with the campaign!

Thanks for another great week everyone. Together, we are making this world a better place for our best friends.

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Get your rehab and general canine health questions ready! Dr. Jessica Waldman from California Animal Rehabilitation Center is dropping by. Dr. Waldman can answer just about any canine health questions you have: amputation, surgery recovery, exercise, mobility, alternative medicine, diet, aging and more.

Saturday, July 10

8:00 PM Eastern / 5:00 PM Pacific

In the Tripawds Chat Room

Jessica H. Waldman, VMD, CVA, CCRT

Dr. Waldman is co-founder of California Animal Rehabilitation Center, one of the few rehab centers in the country with both a doctor and a physical therapist on staff, both of whom are certified canine rehabilitation practitioners. Dr. Waldman speaks at veterinary meetings on the subject of Canine Rehabilitation and she has a special interest in neurological rehabilitation and in nutrition for all life stages. She loves to see her patients’ quality of life improve, and she counsels in nutrition utilizing a combination of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine for the best possible outcome.

Dr. Waldman completed a certificate program from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute to become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. She is also a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist through the Chi Institute. She is one of the founding members of the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians.

If you haven’t already watched our blog post series with Dr. Waldman, check them out:

Canine Rehabilitation: Exercises and Stretches with CARE

Canine Rehabilitation: Amputation Recovery Advice with CARE

Canine Rehabilitation: Pain Meds and Supplement Tips from CARE