To every Tripawds member who has
loaned a shoulder to lean on
helped a Tripawd find a home
represented Tripawds at an event
shared their Tripawd warrior’s story
been here through good times and sad
shown Barney a good time (and let him live!)
written a helpful guest blog post for the community
sent a gift of direct support or requested a Tripawds bandanna
shopped in our Gifts, Gear, Nutrition, Amazon or Downloads blogs
shared ideas for new content or given feedback about the website
made us laugh and smile with crazy videos, photos and poems
hung out in the Chat Room to help a pawrent in need
purchased anything through a Tripawds affiliate link
used their talents to help support the community
answered a survey or entered a contest
sent photos to celebrate a Tripawd’s life
coordinated a Tripawds pawty

Thank you! Gracias! Merci! Mahalo! Danke!
Grazie! Arigato! kawp-kun krap/ka’! Obrigado! Toda!

We are beyond grateful for everything that each and every one of you does to make this a supportive, educational and fun place to be. Tripawds couldn’t exist without you.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

“What a beautiful day we had for the Paw Rade in Mainstrasse Village!” says Barb. “It was great to have the opportunity to talk with so many pet owners, rescues and shelter people about the best group of folks around–the Tripawds community, our extended family.”

Barb and John’s “Mission of Hope” is their way of honoring the support they received while their Hope went through her own amputation journey and soon after succumbed to kidney failure. The Youngs have started this outreach program to offer information and support to Tripawd dogs in the Cincinnati area.

“Tripawds folks gave us so much support and encouragement after Hope’s surgery, that in honor and remembrance of her, we have started the Tripawds.com Cincinnati Outreach Program, ‘Mission of Hope’” Barb told us.

“It was easy to tell people how all of you have taken the path that is before them, and how you can help them along the way.

So many people told me that they wished they had known about tripawds when their pet had surgery,” she added.

Create Tripawd Awareness in Your Town

Spreading the word about the amazing capabilities of three-legged dogs is easy and doesn’t have to cost a lot. Print our free Tripawds fliers, then pass them out to your veterinarian, dog food store, beautify salon . . . “Anywhere and everywhere,” says Barb, “because there are people out there who need YOU and the support you and this community can give them.”

If you have an opportunity to set up a booth at an animal function, “do it!” Barb says. “It’s easy and you will get far more out of the event that you put in. Email me and I will give you all the info you need to do an event!”

At the Paw-Rade, the Youngs set up a beautiful table, and had beautifully-packaged, tasty homemade dog cookies ready for hungry pups.

Barb turned her kitchen into a biscuit bakery, and baked several different types of treats for the event.

Although competition was stiff among the many different treat vendors, Barb added a classy touch to her offerings. Instead of grabbing treats out of a jar when a customer requested some, she used tongs to bag their order. This gave her treats a cleaner, more sanitary look than typical treat vendors.

In addition to dog treats, Barb addressed the feline fans at the Paw-Rade, with her homegrown catnip treats.

They even had Charger, a Tripawd pup staff the booth to show everypawdy what three legged dogs can do!

“It really was a great time for everyone and gave me a good opportunity to talk with other rescues about tripod animals they might rescue in the future,” says Barb.

We’ve never seen a more well-dressed bunch of pups anywhere!

Thank you Barb and John for all of your hard work to raise over $100 to help Tripawds.com, and show the world that Tripawds Rule!

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Join Team Captain Rio for a fun afternoon of celebrating our heroic Tripawds and quadpawds, honoring our angel dogs and banding together to help find a cure to end canine cancer. All proceeds go to the 2 Million Dogs organization which is committed to discovering the common links between canine and human cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative oncology research.

We hope you can be there but if you can’t, please consider making a gift of any amount through the 2 Million Dogs Team Tripawds web page. Or, look for a walk near you and start your own Team Tripawds!

If you’re walking, be sure to show your Tripawd Pride by wearing your Team Tripawds shirt, available in our Tripawds Gift Shop!

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

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!

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

It’s that time of year again everypawdy.

Time to make your Tripawd a world famous superstar in the upcoming 2012 Tripawds Inspawrational Calendar! For one week only, we are taking any and all photo submissions from the community.

How to Be a Calendar Star

We want as many Tripawds as pawsible to be featured in the calendar. But hurry! You have exactly one week to send your photos.

• Jot down your favorite inspawrational quote (along with the author’s name)
• Email the quote along with one high resolution, quality photo of your Tripawd
• Calendar submission deadline has passed.

This annual calendar is a fun project that spotlights the amazing capabilities of our Tripawd heroes. It makes a great gift for friends, family and the special veterinarians in your life. All sales made though this project help defray the costs of maintaining the Tripawds community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Photo submissions are no longer being accepted. Stay tuned for the new 2012 Calendars coming soon!

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

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!

Date: Saturday, May 28 2011

Time: 6:30pm EDT (3:30 Pacific)

Duration: 30 min.

Call In Number: (310) 388-9739

Tune In Here: Tripawd Rehab Therapy with CARE

Share Link: bit.ly/tritalk052811

Post any questions for Dr. Waldman before the show, by replying to this topic or join us in the Chat during the show. We will update the  topic with a podcast of this show, after the program airs.

Related Blog Posts & Forum Topics

See All Tripawds CARE Video Interviews

About Our Guest:

Dr. Waldman is co-founder of California Animal Rehabilitation Center, one of the only 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.

Walk with us!

Whether you walk in pawson or in spirit from the comfort of your home, you can rest assured knowing that the hard-earned money you gave to the  Cure Canine Cancer Walk will go toward funding the work of oldest and most respected animal health research organizations in the world, the Morris Animal Foundation.

Our goal is to raise $500 and we’re almost there. We just need $155 to reach it!

Learn why we support Morris Animal Foundation. We’re sure you’ll agree that they’re pawesome.

Show Your Team Pride

And remember, there’s a whole new line of Team Tripawds gear to wear on the big day!

Join Team Tripawds today!

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

The Tripawd experience brings pawrents together from all over the world, but chances are, there’s probably Tripawd pawrents in your own city that you didn’t even know about.

Why not get to know your local Tripawd families by organizing a Tripawds Chapter Party?

Organizing your own three legged dog pawty is easy.

1. Visit our Discussion Forum Topic, “Tripawd Parties”. Let people know you want to organize one.
2. Post an announcement in our Tripawds Three Legged Dog Facebook Page. We have tons of Facebook members who don’t visit the Discussion Forums, and vice versa. Tell Facebook fans to visit the Forums to help plan the event.
3. Choose a date and location. From dog parks to beaches to backyards, Tripawd pawties have been held in every type of location.
4. Share the logistics with us in the Tripawd Parties topic. We’ll help promote it here and on our Facebook Page.
5. Download and create a Tripawds Pawty Flier if you’re really ambitious, to post at local dog parks and pet stores!
6. Name Your Price for Tripawd Bandannas! The bandannas make great pawty favors and all proceeds go to help maintain the Tripawds community.

That’s it! Once you nail down the logistics, we’ll help remind people and promote the big event.

Tripawd pawties are building camaraderie, support and friendships everywhere in the world. Why not get one started in your neighborhood?

Created with love by Spirit Jerry’s People, the Tripawds Etsy store is one way they are doing their best to make Tripawds a self-sustaining community.

Shop Today, Shop Often

The Tripawds Etsy store is stocked with an ever-changing selection of unique jewelry items for pawrents with a passion for three legged dogs. Our current offerings include several different glass pendant designs of front and rear-legged tripod dogs.

Now you can wear your Tripawds Pride with style and flair! And remember, every purchase helps to defray the costs of maintaining the Tripawds community. The more three paw tripod dog jewelry that sells, the less frequently we’ll hold Tripawds fundraising campaigns (our ultimate goal is to not have them at all). It’s a win win for everpawdy!

So Many Ideas, Such Little Time

Since we rarely make more than a few designs of each, you’ll see that the selection of artwork is constantly changing. We’re also ramping up our capabilities to create more jewelry items for humans and dogs, which we’ll announce as we create them. As our jewelry-making skills grow, we’ll be sure to include these one-of-a-kind items in the Tripawds Etsy store for everypawdy to enjoy!

Tripawd Gifts Has Something for Everypawdy

If our new Tripawds charm necklaces for humans doesn’t rock your world, check out our recommended dog theme pendants, lockets and jewelry. Remember too, that the Tripawds Gifts Blog contains a huge selection of commercially-produced t-shirts, memorial pendants, keepsake boxes, frames and much more. Check back often for new item announcements or review all Tripawds designs available on a multitude of three legged dog apparel and gifts.

Again, every purchase made here will help cover the costs of maintaining the community. But, if you’re not a shopper, remember you can always support Tripawds directly by clicking here!