Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I thought it was time we did some remembering of the fun stuff we loved about our furbabies that have left us. I posted this about 2 years ago. I had lost Rugby in July of 2009 and still had Comet. Rocket aka Monkeybutt had only been with us a few months and was driving me mad! (I'm sure he was making me melancholy for Rugby!) As a matter of fact, I think this was the first topic I ever started on tripawds!
I thought we could use a fresh update. All the feelings are the same and it's so nice to remember the happy times! Re-reading what I wrote about Rugby brought a big smile to me even this morning! The loss of Rugby is the reason I came to tripawds! His loss devasted me since I didn't have my helper dog for Comet. Since "life was all about Comet" - I needed him so much; more than I ever realized! And since he was younger than her, he was going to be my salvation when Comet died. Life isn't how we plan it, that's for sure!
Originally posted by me 2 years ago:
Since there has been a lot of us in mourning, I thought it would be nice to write down the cute, quirky and just plain lovable things we miss in our fur angel taken from us. I think it would be nice to smile about them right now during the holiday season. And I'd love to hear what other's fur angels would do!
I'll start:
Rugby was a happy-go-lucky German Shep Mix – he died July 21st [2009] without warning from hemangiosarcoma of the heart [at only 8 years old]. He wasn't my 3 legged dog – he was my helper dog.
Here's what I miss:
1) Rugby wouldn't let my husband kiss me good-bye without being the first one to get a kiss from me. He would do a mad dash to me when he knew my husband was leaving to work. He'd jump up in my lap or on me and get the first kiss in! (It was rather weird since he wasn't jealous – he just wanted the first kiss!) To this day, I sometimes brace myself expecting him to come running when my husband leaves to work!
2) He was a one trick pony. Comet, my legged dog can do many, including 'lay down roll over'. Rugby was a big clod and could only do "Circus Boy" – in which he could sit up on his hind legs with help. That was it. But if you asked him to do 'Circus Boy', he would!
3) I especially miss his laugh and smile. I've never had a dog that was so happy all the time! In the 8 years of his life, he never ever got mad, ugly or ill-tempered. He was just happy. Sometimes too much so. Taking him anywhere was a chore because of his excitement. He screamed like a little girl and scared everyone in a big shephard body–but he was so excited and happy .
Here he is doing his Circus Boy trick with his infectious smile!
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
And of course…the happy and fun stuff from Comet!
1) Every time you walked in the door from being away, she jumped up and said hello and then ran and grabbed a toy and shook it! And then immediately ran to the kitchen for her "treat". She got a treat for EVERYTHING!
2) One of things that was so cute is her using that paddle of a gimpy leg to knock stuff over! The leg didn't work, but she'd use her shoulder to move it. She'd come into the bathroom with me and kick at some tall candlesticks that are on standing on the floor! Why she thought it was funny, I'll never know…but she loved knocking stuff over! It would spook her if they fell, but she loved kicking at stuff! She'd use that leg and kick you with it when she wanted your attention.
3) No phone calls after 7pm at my house! Comet refused to let me talk on the phone after 7 pm. I could talk in the daytime but not at night! She made such a ruckus and would bark and have a fit for me to get off the phone! The evenings were her time! She never cared if I talked on the phone before 7pm. She'd start off polite but she got nasty and loud! Much like this video!
4) Turning on the water hose outside for 12 years was impossible! She loved playing with the water hose and would grab for it. It was a giant snake she'd flip up and wrap around her neck and then she'd then try to grab the water. We'd have to shut her in the house since she went bananas over the water hose! She could still hear us turning it on when she was in the house and she'd had a fit jumping on the door to go outside. Soon after we got her, she grabbed the water hose from George and to this day we haven't found his original wedding ring! We have no idea where it is and even took a metal detector.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Oh, I wanna play. (Cute stories/pups! Isn't it funny how they have their quirks??)
We lost our beagle Bailey at age 12 (also to hemangiosarcoma of the heart) just over two years ago - Oct. 14, 2009. She was such a funny girl! Always smiling and happy. Here are some of her "quirks""
2. She wouldn't play any game unless you actively participated. No sitting back and tossing a ball. No way. She would just lay there with a "we are not amused" look unless you got up and played too. She even invented a game where we were the ones who ran around. She’d stand on the couch and we’d bounce a ball at her. If she bounced it back, she got a point. If we caught it, we got a point. But if we missed and had to run after it, she’d get another point. She loved that game. She’d stand on the couch and purposely bounce it away from us, and then smile while we ran around like idiots.
3. She was totally Daddy's Girl. She would sit in his lap every morning, put her arms around his neck and kiss him before work. Like 100s of times. We think she thought she needed to mark him ("Mine!") every day before he went out into the world.
4. The funniest thing she ever did was this: When we first had her, we lived in an apartment. One day we opened the door to greet a friend, just as our neighbor walked out his door. She’d never bolted before, but that day she flew out our door and straight into the neighbor’s apartment, where his roommate sat on the sofa eating pizza. She snatched the last piece off his plate and raced out! She must have smelled it through the thin walls and plotted her perfect crime. I would have loved to see that roommate’s face: sitting there, enjoying his pizza, looking forward to relishing the last piece; when suddenly a blur of Beagle dashes in and steals it. Oh what I'd give for a video of that!
She was a very funny, sweet baby. We sure miss that little tyke.
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Here's a Chili Dawg story.
A week after we got him, Ryan and I were building our fence for the backyard. Chili Dawg wasn't happy about being left in the house. Here's our conversation...
Me: "Oh my gosh! Ryan look in the dining room window!" Ryan: "Why?" Me: "You have got to see the Chili Dawg!" Ryan: "Oh my gosh!"
The Chili Dawg had jumped onto the dining room table and was standing on top of it, watching us build the fence out the window! We have the claw marks still in the table (which was brand new at the time) to prove it. We learned our lesson, and got him on a leash and outside with us, which is where he wanted to be the whole time anyway.
Diagnosed with OSA: 5/2/2011 Ampuversary: 5/11/2011 OSA returned in hip: 8/26/2011
Chili Dawg crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 8/30/2011 & is now pain free. He was my heart dog, and I miss him every day.
I've been wanting to do this on Bo's blog, but haven't yet. Maybe this will be my kick in butt to get a move on it!
Bo was notorious for eating EVERYTHING! Typical Lab, I guess. He would always get in the trashcan, despite the many attempts we made to Bo-proof it. Most of the time, we would put the trashcan on top of the dryer so he couldn't reach it. When we got married, we put a super expensive, doggie-proof trashcan on our registry. We were sooo excited that someone got it for us. I'm completely serious when I say our favorite wedding gift was a trashcan!
When the trash was no longer an option, Bo taught himself to open the refrigerator. Yes, really. We would come home to the fridge wide open with random things pulled out and eaten. One time, he actually pulled out some beer bottles and left over pizza!! Crazy Bo!! We ended up tying some thick string to the fridge door handle and wrapped the other end around a cabinet hinge so it wouldn't open very far. It made it nearly impossible for Bo to get in the fridge...and us too. An interesting way to diet...
Bo got into everything from chicken carcasses, foil, soap (he would eat it a bar at a time!), kitty litter, etc, etc, etc. One time, I brought home a starter bag of the Amish friendship bread batter. You have to knead the bag and add ingredients to it for 10 days before baking it. On Day 9...Day 9!...Bo pulled the bag from the counter and ate it. The batter, the bag, everything! When I came home, not only had Bo thrown up the bread mix/bag everywhere, but the entire house smelled like rancid yeast...ugh!!
I may sound like an awful pawrent for letting Bo get into all of this stuff, but he really was a stinker!! This gave me a great smile and made my heart happy. Thanks for the great idea!!
OMD, Meghan, those stories are SO funny! I think the pizza and beer is my fave. At least Bailey didn't steal OUR pizza - just the neighbor's!
Teehee.
Good idea to start this topic.
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Oh Meghan! There was much more to Bo than we knew! How adorable! And no, you don't sound like a bad parent! Dogs will be dogs! I used to worry about what everyone here thought because I gave so many cookies and donuts to Comet. She loved them so much, I just couldn't say no. Now, I'm glad I did!
That's so funny about Chili Dawg! The claw marks now are priceless!
Wow, Jackie you and I were experiencing the same loss at about the same time! Awww. and you just went through her 2 year of loss date. Awww. But oh my gosh, she sounded like an adorable little girl!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
ok, here's a quirky story about our afghan hound phil, who we adopted in 1990. he got too tall for the afghan standard, so a handler 'boarded' him at our vet's office in kansas city, and split. we'd adopted another afghan from this same vet (bob) about four months before, so we said yes (reluctantly at first) to adopting phil when they asked. bob (unknown to us) had cancer when we adopted him and passed away shortly after we got phil, but we knew his six months with us were probably the best of his life - bob was rather abused prior to finding his life with us he loved to eat pretzels in bed.....but i digress....
phil was a show dog - gorgeous, but definitely not a house dog. he had lived in a crate for the first year of his life, and was taught 'never pee on the grass or concrete' when he was out on the show circuit. well, we'd walk that boy for an hour, and then...once inside the front door, he'd unload a gallon of pee on the front tile..... bless his heart, when he finally peed outside we had such a celebration, i know the neighbors thought we were crazy.....
so, to the quirky story. it was winter time, and we had a nice fire in the fireplace. we were having a work friend over for dinner, and i'd prepared a sourbrauten roast for dinner. (did i mention how tall phil was???) well, i put the roast on the counter, and went to make the gingersnap gravy.... all was good, getting the wine out, and i look in the living room - oh my word, there's a log on the floor...i run in, thinking it had rolled out of the fireplace....no, IT WAS THE SOURBRAUTEN ROAST!! phil had snatched it, but it was too hot, so he dropped it in the living room... well, our guest was almost there, and well....yes, i washed it off, put in on a plate, and covered it with that gingersnap gravy!!! compliments abounded, and phil got a little plate after dinner.....
we lost phil in march 2000 of heart disease, he was the love of my life, and i know he brought me 'puppy gayle' in a thunder storm to try to help heal my heart.....
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Before we had Rio and the Monkeygirls, we had Shasta and Nakita. Shasta was like a mini-Golden retriever -- we thought Border Collie and Golden mix -- and Nakita looked a lot like ET Gayle but with white chin and chest. Shasta was super smart, and Nakita just kinda went along with whatever Shasta did/said. One day we came home from work, and walking in the door, I freaked and said, "We've been robbed!!!" The backdoor was wide open and the house was trashed. Slowly it dawned on me that I smelled something really bad and that none of the "valuables" (TV, stereo, etc.) were missing. I realized that the "trash" was shredded newspapers, CDs and video tapes. There were muddy footprints everywhere. And I smelled POOOOO!
Shasta had figured out how to open the sliding glass door (apparently we forgot to lock it) and they'd run in and out and tracked in a lot of mud. One of them had grabbed a newspaper and the other had played chase, leaving havoc and confetti in their wake. Then Nakita (cuz she was my chewer) had decided to chew on a few video tapes and CD cases. It didn't agree with her tummy, and so she vomited and then made a huge poop right next to it.
The other weirdo thing about Nakita, if her dinner was late, she would throw up.
God, I miss those girls....
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~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
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H MY DOG CHARON! Once again….I crying I'm laughing so hard! And all I can think about is Brett and Shanna have eaten at your house!!! And everyone seems to want to go to your house!! 
Now I have to wipe the tears and read Micki's post!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
And the laughter continues Micki!!!
"oh my god, we've been robbed!" .......by the dogs! Bwhwhahhahahhahhahahhaha!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Dogs, beer, pizza, video tape poo and a missing wedding ring? Baaaahhahahahahahahah! OMD the things we miss when we're offline for a few hours.
What great stories! These need to be in a book or something. Comet, thank you for starting this topic, it's so nice to share the funny stuff our angel dawgs entertained us with.
Well, here are some kinda nutty things that I used to do:
When we would go camping, there was nothing like chewing on fallen logs. Mmmm mmmm! Those were better than any ol' bags o trash. I could chew on logs for hours! I think I used to be a beaver in my previous life. Sometimes barking at old tires and big rocks was entertaining but I always preferred that soft mushy wood from trees that fell in rivers and stuff.
I also had this red ball made of super hard plastic, that drove me nuts. Mom filled it with gravel so it would make noise. That thing wouldn't shut up! So every chance I got, I chased it around the yard. This went on for many months.
Now, keep in mind that I used to eat a LOT of bones and raw meat, so Mom never brushed my teeth as much as she shouldda. Hey, I had a dazzling smile! But one day, she looked at my mouth real close, and what do you know? My fangs were worn down! Hahaha! She didn't even know that ball was doing that. She and Dad felt awful. Oh well, it wasn't like I was going to bit anyone with them anyways. After that I only got to play with it on special occasions, then all hell broke loose!
Hmmm...I'll share some more later, our Interwebs is broken tonite.
Love these stories, keep 'em coming!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Dogs, beer, pizza, video tape poo and a missing wedding ring? Baaaahhahahahahahahah! OMD the things we miss when we're offline for a few hours.
What great stories! These need to be in a book or something. Comet, thank you for starting this topic, it's so nice to share the funny stuff our angel dawgs entertained us with.
Well, here are some kinda nutty things that I used to do:
When we would go camping, there was nothing like chewing on fallen logs. Mmmm mmmm! Those were better than any ol' bags o trash. I could chew on logs for hours! I think I used to be a beaver in my previous life. Sometimes barking at old tires and big rocks was entertaining but I always preferred that soft mushy wood from trees that fell in rivers and stuff.
I also had this red ball made of super hard plastic, that drove me nuts. Mom filled it with gravel so it would make noise. That thing wouldn't shut up! So every chance I got, I chased it around the yard. This went on for many months.
Now, keep in mind that I used to eat a LOT of bones and raw meat, so Mom never brushed my teeth as much as she shouldda. Hey, I had a dazzling smile! But one day, she looked at my mouth real close, and what do you know? My fangs were worn down! Hahaha! She didn't even know that ball was doing that. She and Dad felt awful. Oh well, it wasn't like I was going to bit anyone with them anyways. After that I only got to play with it on special occasions, then all hell broke loose!
Hmmm...I'll share some more later, our Interwebs is broken tonite.
Love these stories, keep 'em coming!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It sucks when the burglars poop on the carpet!!!
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~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
Ge'Lena,
I was laughing about the Circus Dog trick. Shasta did "Dancing Bear." She'd stand on her back legs and dance, either with you or by herself. Even after she blew her ACL and post-surgery, she still loved to dance.
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~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
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