Fourteen years ago this season, a very special community was born. The Tripawds backstory began when we learned that our dog Jerry needed to lose a leg because of bone cancer. Today, we share the details of how it all began, in a short podcast below called “Who is Tripawds“?
The Tripawds Backstory Started 14 Years Ago this Week
We never imagined Tripawds.com would grow into what it has become. One week before Thanksgiving 2006, a little blog called “Tripawds.com” got published. The bare bones journal was simply a way to share our experience struggling with amputation for our beloved Jerry.
He was our heart and soul dog, the Chief Fun Officer of our little graphics business. Devastated only begins to scratch the surface of how we felt vets recommended amputation. Back then, it felt like we were the only two people in the world facing this heartbreaking decision, and the awful osteosarcoma diagnosis too.
Jerry didn’t seem to care though, he just wanted to feel better.
Admin Guy (Jim) started Tripawds.com as a way to get our feelings out. It also seemed like a cool way to share Jerry’s story with friends and family, with entries mostly written by Jerry’s mom, Rene. Little did we know that it was the beginning of the world’s best place for pet amputation help and support!
A Special Community with Extra Special Members
The more we published little blog posts about Jerry’s life, the more word spread about Jerry’s story. Pet parents who went out of their way to come here, ask questions about their own pet’s amputation, and support others in their journey, showed us that Tripawds was becoming one very special corner of the Universe.
Our life is changed for the better because of this community, and we hope yours is too. Over the years, we never wanted Tripawds to be about us, or just Jerry. This community exists to spotlight all the pawesome animals who show human beings how to live life to the fullest when faced with adversity. Yes, it’s about YOU, dear Tripawds member!
You are the amazing pet parent who wants to help your furbaby live a better life after amputation. And you and your furry hero are the reason we build our life around this beautiful community. You are why we never go without Internet access, why work behind the scenes, making sure that this community stays online to help others face life after pet amputation.
Many people tell us “You guys work too hard!” And while we do put many hours into making sure things run smoothly and people get help, the truth is: Tripawds never feels like work to us. We do what we love, and the long hours you put in don’t matter. What we do here is done out of love for animals who have so much to teach us, and the great people they connect us to every day. This is how we, Jim and Rene, show up to make the world a better place. This is what brings us joy and purpose. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
And Now, Our Story
So here we are, all these years later, and it occurred to us that until last year when we published our Be More Dog book, we never really shared our story. Some folks think that Tripawds is run by some big company, not two geeks living in their RV, which we are, and we do. People have asked us to explain our story though, so we finally said “OK.” This podcast below explains the Tripawds backstory in detail, shares more about Jerry and our beloved Wyatt Ray too.
We hope you enjoy our story. Again, thank you for being in our orbit. Thank you for all you do to help pets enjoy better lives, on however many legs they have. Thank you for all you do to make sure that Tripawds will exist long into the future. We are furever grateful you are here!
You are doing very good and useful things indeed! 14 years it really a lot. It was interesting to know your backstory, I wish you that all your affairs would only go up and of course good luck.
This is a fantastic summary of the backstory and all that you’ve developed over these many years now!
Thanks Dave! 🙂