Hi everyone, not sure if anyone on here will remember me. Its been almost a year and a half since I joined this site. I have a Leonberger named Meeko who was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma 9-16-12. His rear right leg was amputated 10-1-12, so he has been a tripawd for 17 months now. Shortly after his recovery and physical therapy, I went through several life-changing events that pulled me away from many social networks. I'm in a much better and happier place now and have been re-engaging in my circle of dog friends, getting back in touch with old friends and making new. I wanted to post an update here on the forums to tell everyone how well Meeko is doing. Not only has he been cancer free for almost a year and a half, but he has accomplished quite a bit since losing a leg in the fight against cancer. First, going back to his initial recovery, he went for 2 months of hydrotherapy to build muscle and balance on three legs. He also did an at-home physical therapy program wherein I did stretches and balance-building exercises with him. He finished physical therapy Spring of 2013 and enjoyed Summer of 2013 as a happy and healthy dog. All the while, we continued to volunteer as a pet therapy team visiting those with developmental disabilities. Throughout Fall of 2013, Meeko and I finished logging our first 50 pet therapy visits which enabled us to submit our paperwork for his Therapy Dog titles. Meeko has earned his:

• Therapy Dog Trrrrific Award (awarded by Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs)
• Leonberger Therapy Award - LTA (awarded by the Leonberger Club of America)
• and his Therapy Dog Title - ThD (awarded by the American Kennel Club)

He is now officially Noble Lowen's Because You Loved Me CGC ThD LTA. It is now March of 2014 and on March 16th, it will be 18 months post-diagnosis. April 1st will be his year and a half ampuversary. Meeko is 4.5 years old and thriving on three legs. He has formed an incredible bond with my boyfriend, Vinny, which I think really adds to his happiness. He goes for walks, he runs, he plays with other dogs at the dog park, he does steps, he jumps and romps. He has taught us all many valuable lessons. I am getting choked up as I type about his story.

In 6 weeks, we will be traveling to Burlington, Vermont for the 2014 Leonberger Club of America National Specialty. Meeko will be officially receiving his Leonberger Therapy Award "in-person" and that will be an honor. In addition, he will be pioneering the venue of draft work/carting as the first tripawd to participate in a sanctioned draft test. For those unfamiliar with draft work, it is the work of a dog with a cart or wagon, being hitched via a harness. The dog pulls the cart and navigates a course with left and right turns, stops, distractions, varying terrain, etc. Meeko is also in the process of learning how to "back-up" while hitched to the cart, and this is proving to be quite difficult for a rear amp giant breed.

I'm so glad to be on this forum typing this update. I hope to re-engage with members here to share my experiences with my tripawd warrior.