Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I am so sorry to hear about Rocky's loss. It takes time. No one can tell you when it won't hurt. This part of our journey is so individual and the hardest one to go on.
Run Free Rocky
hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Wow, what a story about Carrie. That had to be such good medicine at a time when you need it most. You did a wonderful thing and I know Rocky is smiling down at his papa.
As for the kitty, well I think that little critter is having a play date with Rocky's spirit! Can't you just picture it?!
All these little signs are things that Rocky is showing you, to let you know he is never far from your side. I totally believe our animals do that for us.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh David!!! WOW!!! Rocky did that David!!! No, you can't make stuff like this up!!! And for you to be on that walk...in that location...at that moment...Rocky was on that walk with you David!! 
And then the "odd" behavior of that cat at your door....that cat was feelie Rocky's presence. He's still surrounding you withnhis energy from another dimension.
You can pooh pooh all these "events" , or you can be open to.....maybe....just maybe......:-) While the cat scenario was intriguing, how you were guided to find that dog is, to me, clearly a Rocky guided "adventure" he planned for you! And it did make you smile briefly...yep, Rocky was beside you today!
Love and hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Absolutely pawsitively no doubt it was Rocky's doing. I cried my eyes out continuing the walk home, knowing what he had done.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
And here you are, as hard and as painful as it is to be in the site right now, here you are helpie Toddy's family navigate through a joirney similar to Rocky's. Rocky is guiding that too. That Rocky is making sure you carry on his legacy of touching lives. He's been a very vusy boy at the Bridge!!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I'm very sorry that Rocky has crossed over. When we get the cancer diagnosis we know where the road will end, but it is still crushing.
Even though I still had a pug at home, when I came home after Maggie crossed the house seemed so empty and I felt like my life had lost purpose. And it had- taking care of Maggie those last months was almost a full time job, and even though most of it sucked I still missed the routine when it was gone.
Someone here once said "there is no way now but through". There is no way around this part of the journey.
The special ones like Rocky really don't leave us, they are too much a part of our heart and soul. Whether it is pennies, or rainbows, or helping us deal with challenges they make their presence known.
I hope that each day brings you closer to more smiles than tears.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
David, I may have posted much earlier that as a child Golden Spaniels became my favourite dog because my great-grandmother gave me a Golden Spaniel pajama dog when I was a baby. I still have it.
Sally told you to watch for signs, right? Is Rocky sending you a cat? At least one to give you a smile. Now a lost dog? Rocky is so sweet.
I had a wonderful, loving cat named Rocky. Every day he would go a few doors over to a house where a cat named Doc lived. Rocky would scratch at their patio door for them to let Doc out and they would play tag on the fence. Unfortunately Doc disappeared and Rocky was still kept going over every day scratching at the patio door for Doc. Eventually, he gave up and made friends with a little dog next door.
Although both of our Rockys aren't visible in our daily lives, I'm now imagining all the canine and feline Rockys are now safely snuggled together.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
It was 11 years ago today that my previous dog, Nick, died. He lived with my parents, but he was mine. I still remember going back to their house that night and the utter feeling of emptiness it held. Even with all of us there, it was just so lonely without Nick.
I figured my house would feel that way, but about 1,000 times worse, without Rocky. Instead, it's just a weird feeling. It's like somebody took Pain, Grief, Sadness, Emptiness, Loneliness, Anger, Guilt, Depression along with Joy, Happiness and Relief, and rolled them all up in one big impossible-to-describe emotion.
I miss him tremendously. But I'm not sure I'd want him back today the way he was last week. While it sucks, it really really sucks, he went peacefully with me at his side. I think we made the best of a terrible situation. And I'm not sure I'd want to risk a worse ending for him.
I thought this morning about what would have happened if I hadn't let him stay out in the yard just a bit longer. The initial thought being maybe his leg doesn't break and he's still here today. But I think it's quite likely his leg would have given out while he was following me up the stairs. That would have been beyond terrible.
In a way, we had the perfect ending to an imperfect situation. He was still Rocky until the end, but there was no question the end had arrived.
Thanks for letting me ramble my thoughts here. It's been good therapy for me so far, and I expect to continue to use it.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
I guess I should mention, the mystery of the cat has been solved. New neighbors moved in next door last weekend. I introduced myself to them yesterday. They have two cats and a dog. The cat at my door was theirs. I think he got confused with the move.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Rocky's dad said
he went peacefully with me at his side. I think we made the best of a terrible situation. And I'm not sure I'd want to risk a worse ending for him.In a way, we had the perfect ending to an imperfect situation. He was still Rocky until the end, but there was no question the end had arrived.
Sometimes the only momentary "comgort" we can find in the middle of grief is, if we are "lucky" enough, knowing we were able to give a peaceful transition before unbearable pain and suffering took hold. Rocky did have a "perfect" transition in an imperfect situation. IF the fracture had tonhappen it could not have been in a more "perfect" way. You weren't at work, he wasn't left for hours snd hours unable to move. He just waited under the tree, after having a nice trot around his kingdome, nowing you would come and get him. He probably was watching and waiting for Cicadas to get within reach of his muzzle so he could snatch up a few.
I know he's teaching Nick how to catch Cicadas and how to chase green tennis balls at the Bridge.
Thank you for continuing to check in. Anytime anyone shares their experience as they work through the grief is therapeutic for everyone. Whether our losses were years sgo, or recently we all lean kn each other snd learn from each other.
Surrounding you with Rocky's happy smile
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Keeren! Interesting story about the kitties...And the name too 🙂
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Tonight is going to be rough. It's hitting me hard right now that it was a week ago we were spending what would turn out to be our final night together. It was just about exactly a week ago that I was going to get wings (for me) and tenders (for him) for dinner.
I've spent most of the week thinking about the end of his journey. But I've spent a lot of today thinking about the beginning. It's crazy how fast the last eight years have gone. It almost feels like our time together was a dream.
I really really miss him.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
This entire journey is soooo intense....from the shock of the diagnosis...to the stress of trying to make the best decision...to the intense focus on making every day count.....the laser focus on caring for our best friends. The actual transition is full of soooo many emotions. It truly is a one of a kind experience from beginning to "end" that touches our emotions so deeply...the height of happiness as we celebrate everyday forward with hope...and the depth of despair when our world just stops.
And that's where we all stay stuck for what seems like an eternity. The transition represents every aspect of our intense journeythat culminates in those "last hours". Of course, the reality is that's just a blink of an eye compared to thousands of happy memories you shared with Rocky. For whatever reason though, we all play the "ending"over and over and over and over and usually we question over and over and over every action we took at that time.
I know I'm just rambling. Wish I had answers as to why we stay stuck for awhile on the transition. Wish I had a quick fix solution to make us change our focus to the happy days. The happy days are what Rocky wants you to remember.
One thing I KNOW for certain that would help change your focus, and that's to share some of the stories of when you and Rocky first met...when he first fell in love with his tennis ball.....when he jad his first taste of chicken! And of course, we MUST have pictures!!
Love and hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
A week is such a short time, it's understandable that you are feeling deep sadness. For me, it took weeks for things to sink and and even to be able to comprehend that our Jerry had transitioned. I couldn't even talk about it with anyone but Admin, it was hard. So I totally understand how when these anniversaries come up, the grief rises quickly and feels so heavy.
Did I tell you about the "remember when?" game? It goes like this. Whenever you find yourself feeling the weight of grief intensely, try to think of a happy memory with Rocky instead. It's like changing the channel in our brain. Think of the good times (cliche, I know, but it's true) and eventually you will train your brain to feel more joy at having him in your life, than sadness over his departure. It took a lot of practice for me to switch channels but eventually I didn't have to think about it anymore. I'm not saying that I didn't feel sadness afterward, but what it did was allow me to smile, which is exactly what Jerry wanted for me. I know Rocky wants the same for you.
So if you'd like, yes, share more memories with us! We'd love to celebrate his life with you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh, David! I'm just reading this - I haven't really been online much the past week or so, I just haven't had it in me. I'm so so sorry and so very sad. I love that Rocky was looking so happy with you in his final moments ... Izzy was just the same, but I was plying her with treats, so that likely contributed to her joy.
Like you, I've played and replayed Izzy's last day in my head over and over. Half the time, I think I let her go too soon and the other half, I beat myself up for waiting too long. I suppose that, every now and then, I squeeze in a "you did it just right" ... it's so damn hard.
I'm amazed at Rocky's "constitution" ... sounds like he and Izzy were cut from the same cloth. Rest assured that she was there to greet her pal and she definitely brought tons of goodies to the party.
Please know that I'm sending you love and I'm so very sorry that I didn't see this until now, but even sorrier for the loss of sweet Rocky.
Amy & the Angel Pig, Izzy
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
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