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Many future Tripawd pawrents assume Tripawds is only for dogs who lose a leg to cancer.

But as Tripawds Spokesdawg Wyatt Ray can tell you, that’s just not the case.

Beyond Cancer: All Tripawds Welcome

Tripawds began when Spirit Jerry lost his leg to osteosarcoma, but his community is now the world’s biggest resource for animal amputees because of the many different circumstances in which they lose a leg.

While the majority of our members are dogs facing bone cancer, we’ll always be here to provide support for anypawdy facing amputation or life with a malformed limb. Our Beyond Cancer Discussion Forum shares many of their stories.

And yes, all species, even cats(!) are most definitely welcome!

Below are just a few examples of how some members became Tripawds.

If you have a Tripawd for reasons other than cancer, share your story in the comments below or in the Forums.

Our Spokesdawg, Wyatt Ray Dawg lost his leg from abuse and neglect, and so did the rest of the Oaktown Pack (pictured left to right, Travis Ray, Codie Rae and Wyatt Ray.

Gerry had irrepairable damage to his left rear leg.

Nemo the kitty was the first non-canine Tripawd we heard about.

New members Cubbie and Reggie were born without paws.

Comet had a fourth leg but she couldn’t use it. Honorary Tripawds definitely count!

JoJo is a sweet little pup who was hit by a car and adopted as a Tripawd

The Petite Princess Shelby was found overseas and brought to America as a Tripawd.

 Molly the Tripawd Pony is a hero of ours.

And finally, Henry the Tripawd Cat is doing pawesome social work with his book series that helps Tripawds.com!

As you can see, Tripawds is an all-species community for any animal who’s lost a leg.

Meet Henry, the Three Legged Cat.

Henry’s Mom, Cathy, recently wrote to us to share his story, and tell us about their heartwarming book, “Henry’s World: A Three Legged Cat’s View of Human Absurdity.”

“Henry would like to take this opportunity to share his book with people worldwide and to particularly help Tripawds raise money for their website.

For every book that you buy, $12 will be given to Tripawds.

You can buy them at Henry’s website : henrysworld.org, through PayPal. Just write in the message part the word “Tripawds” so we know where to send the profits.

Now, a bit about the book:

The more we expose our children to books that promote respect for diversity, compassion, courage, and resiliency, the more we will see children who thrive in this incredibly complex diverse world. We would love to get this true tale about Henry the three-legged cat into the hands of all children!

At its core, it’s about so much more than a cat. Henry’s owners were devoted “dog only” people who didn’t even like cats.

Sometimes, we don’t always get to decide what happens to us in life. What we do get to decide is how we respond. When Henry shows up with a front leg beyond repair, his owners respond in a way that changes their lives as well the lives of thousands of others.

There are many powerful messages in this book, but I love how Henry’s life reminds us that we are not defined by our misfortunes, but by our responses to them. In the back of the book are “Kibble for Thought,” life lessons from Henry himself.

The end of Henry’s World actually is only the beginning, as we learn that Henry is now a cat with a mission to help animals and children in need. To date, he is answered over 33,000 letters from around the world and over 30,000 of his two books have found their way into the hands of humans who need them. This is without being in one bookstore, so that all the profits can go to animals and children in need. Buy a bunch now, you will not be disappointed.

Henry is happy to announce that his canine sister, Dollydog, finally has her own book, “What About Me? I’m Here Too.” Visit Henry’s World for details.”

Cathy Conheim, Cat Scribe >^..^<
La Jolla, CA
www.henrysworld.org

Winner: What’s the Matter with Henry?
ASPCA Humane Issues Award 2006
Best Gift Book 2006 Cat Writers Association

Greg Hess, a viewer from Colorado, wrote to us and shared his story about a deep  commitment he made to his senior dog Stormy, whose health was in rapid decline at the same time that Greg lost his job. Greg and Stormy’s story is so beautiful, we had to share it with you. He writes:

“Rene and Jim,

I am truly sorry for your loss. What great Being Jerry was for everyone he came in contact with. I feel that your story has a very significant message too. That is, your commitment to Jerry in his time of need. Your willingness to do what it took to give him a life that many animals will never know.

I concluded in much the same way, that my own dog needed that kind of commitment. About a year and half ago, I lost my job. While thinking about the next move, I wondered how the next job would impact my our 14 ½ year old Beagle, Stormy. It dawned on me that since both my spouse and me would be gone all day, his life would mostly be just laying around being board. And in Colorado, it’s dark and cold for many months so trying to get out for a walk at night wasn’t very promising.

It wasn’t easy to commit to that. Even with the support of my spouse, losing income and one’s place in the work world presents some difficult hurdles to overcome. But the life we were able to provide Stormy for those 18 months was incredible. He went ‘everywhere’ with me. People new him from one end of the city to the other. He ate with us, walked with us, slept with us, there seemed to be no reason to exclude him from anything in our lives.

We had to have Stormy euthanized in January 2009. Like you, as his health declined, it became clear from our vet visits, that there were too many unknowns about his condition, which was probably a brain tumor or, the beginning of kidney failure. So we decided to just do everything possible to make his life good until it was time. I simply couldn’t put him through massive testing, prodding and poking to gain a couple of days or weeks.

So a grateful thanks for sharing your story. It’s really felt like I’ve been out on the fringe of society by taking off so much time to be with Stormy. His passing (as I’m sure Jerry’s did) has left such a large hole in our lives. I guess the more time one spends, the more threads we interweave between our pet’s lives and us. Perhaps it’s an unfortunate byproduct of losing Stormy, but it’s created a profound sadness in me for all the other Beings on our planet that will not come close to experiencing what dogs like Jerry and Stormy had.”

Here is a beautiful essay Greg wrote about Stormy:

Life with Stormy

By Greg Hess

When I started dating Nancy in 2000, her Beagle Stormy was already 7 years old. What was life with Stormy like for the remaining 9 years? Well let me tell you, being around a Beagle is like being around a little tornado. We put childproof locks on the kitchen cabinets only to find that Stormy easily understood how to pull potatoes out through a small gap in the cabinet door and then take them into the back yard where he gnawed a bite out of each one. Or walking him in the park and judiciously scanning the ground 2 ft. in front of that little tornado who could find the smallest crumb of food left behind by an afternoon picnic. Life with Stormy was trying to eat a snack in a closed room before his nose got wind of it, otherwise he could hound you until you caved in and gave him something too. Or incredibly for such a small dog, pulling a bag of tortillas from the back of a countertop, consuming them and then laying around belching from his overindulgence. You see there is a common theme throughout his life and it was food.

Life with Stormy was often like that. Trying to keep one step ahead of that Beagle mind. Like an old man with a list who wouldn’t rest until every task was completed. Looking back I feel fortunate that we recognized these traits were what made Stormy who he was, and we loved him for that. I believe this willingness to see Stormy as his own being, allowed us to conclude that for the last 18 months of his life, it would be better for him to have one of us leave work and be there for him all the time. That is why I see the story of Jim, Rene and Jerry as so significant. It’s a story that is about more than just being a responsible pet owner. The word that comes to my mind is devotion. The story of Jerry is to me, about an act of love that utterly transcends mere pet responsibility.

What I saw in Rene and Jim was a level of commitment that I dare say some people might not afford a human family member much less, a dog. And it’s difficult to even use the word dog, cat or pet because the definition can imply that these Beings are somehow less than us simply because they weren’t born human. For the 18 months that I was able to participate fully with Stormy I sometimes had a small shadow following me that made me feel guilty for devoting that time to him rather than to a job search. Now however, having seen what Rene and Jim were willing to do, we know it was the right decision. And it’s not that their story is telling us that we have to sell our houses and leave our jobs to do right by our pets. To me it says to have love in one’s life, it doesn’t have to be solely with human being and, it requires something of us . . . sacrifice and devotion. We’ve collectively bred these Beings to be dependent on us and I hope than some day, humans can aspire to provide all Beings what Jerry’s stewards provided him; a great life of dignity and love.

I would like to say thanks to Jim, Rene and Jerry not just for sharing their story, but for showing us what the life of our pets can be. To Nancy for making it possible for us to give Stormy the life all pets could have, and to my best friend Stormy, I hope I gave you as much as you gave to me.

Please don’t forget to file your K9 Tax Form. For a much needed laugh today, click on the form (you may need to enlarge it a bit in your browser).

Enjoy!

Drumroll please! The winners have been announced! PBS had over 700 entries, and as you can see, there’s some real great looking fur kids there! Visit the PBS Nature website to see them all.

Or, you can watch the entire episode online at pbs.org. (See parts 2 & 5 for Jerry’s story.) Here’s a preview* …

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re new here and asking, “So what?” … this was a big deal for us here at tripawds.com because this episode of Nature features me and my pack on the road sharing that incredible bond which only true animal lovers can understand.

Check it out and tell a friend! There’s also only one week left to submit your pet photos for Nature’s Why I Love Cats and Dogs Photo Contest so act now.

*EDIT: We have replaced the preview clip originally posted above with the first segment from Why We Love Cats and Dogs. View the entire episode online at PBS.org for the rest of Jerry’s story.

We must give a special shout-out to producer Ellen Goosenberg Kent and her crew. Since they first followed us around Santa Fe last March, we’ve wondered what would come of the hours of footage they shot.

Well, Ellen did a simply amazing job telling Jerry’s story! We have now seen it about a dozen times and still cry every time.

And the feedback has simply been overwhelming. Just check out some of the heartfelt comments people are leaving on our posts about Jerry’s last days.

We are just astounded to think that our story has touched so many people, in such profound ways. If the response here and on the Nature website is any indication, Ellen is sure to be nominated for another Emmy!

And if traffic is any indication of our future success with this website, Jerry’s legacy is bound to live on here forever.

We typically averaged about 900 unique visits a day. Yesterday alone we had more than 6,000 visitors!

Thank you Ellen. Thank you Nature. Thank you PBS.

And special thanks to all the viewers out there who dropped by to discover Jerry’s full story and share their own puppy-love stories with us. Thanks to all of you, we continue to spread the word that it’s better to hop on three legs than to limp on four.

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When we recently met Joel – whose dog Moose inspired us to proceed with Jerry’s amputation – he mentioned a southern California talk radio host who might be interested in our story.

So just the other day, KVEC’s Dave Congalton had us on his program for a phone interview about the upcoming Nature – Why We Love Cats and Dogs to air February 15, on PBS (check local listings for time and channel).

Dave had some great questions and we wanted to thank him for sharing our story. But rather than us telling you about it, you can download the KVEC podcast here and listen for yourself!

For Jerry’s whole story, be sure to tune in at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, February 15! You’ll also hear from many other pet owners and various animal behavior experts. Check your local listings for exact time and station.

Please mark your calendars, and tell your friends! You can comment on the video at YouTube or below. Read more about Jerry’s stardom here, and don’t forget to submit your favorite pet photo for the PBS Why I Love Cats and Dog photo contest!

UPDATE: Watch the full episode of Nature, Why We Love Cats and Dogs online or search local listings for future air dates!

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Get ready for the premiere of Nature’s Why We love Cats and Dogs by entering the PBS Photo Contest for the program!

Scene from Nature's Why We Love Cats and Dogs, featuring Jerry!

Visit the PBS website for complete details about how to enter your cat and dog photos. Send in your best photo of your favorite four-paws – or three! – to NATURE’s Why I Love Cats and Dogs Photo Contest, then tune-in with your pets for Why We Love Cats and Dogs, Sunday February 15 at 8pm (check local listings).

The five winning photos will receive a DVD of Why We Love Cats and Dogs. The five winning photos and ten runners-up will be featured in a Contest Winners gallery on the PBS NATURE Web site.

Read the contest rules and find out more now. Contest entry is limited to three photos per person, and only photos of cats or dogs will be accepted. We would sure love to see at least one three legged winner! So, enter today and be sure to tune in to your local PBS station on February 15th!