Our dog Finn is just 3 days shy of 13 months old. We got her when she was 6 weeks with her sister from a dirt lot down in Arizona when we were driving cross country. Finn spent her first 8 months with us traveling the US in a car and hanging out with all kinds of people and dogs. She spent 3 months living on an island beach with her sister Murphy and eating coconuts. She also spent 2 weeks playing cowdog on a cattle ranch in Colorado. Finn is a black lab/border collie cross.

Now Finn lives a much quieter life. We had to stop traveling because one of her humans was about to be a high school freshman and wanted to try life in a big school. Finn now lives in a medium sized neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest. On Sunday my daughter, the freshman, took Finn out for her nightly walk. As they headed down the street my daughter slipped on the ice and let loose the leash to catch herself. Finn took off down the street with my daughter in chase. She ran in front of a neighbors moving car and her hind left leg was the only thing hit but it was bad enough to destroy her leg.

We rushed her down to the emergency vet clinic, the only one open at 930 on a Sunday night, where they stabilized her, medicated her, and splinted her. We took her home, made her comfortable and attempted to sleep through the night. The next morning, dropping kids off at their schools on the way to the vet, Finn got to see her own vet. We were given three options... 1 was to just cast the leg and hope for the best, 2 was months and months of reconstructive orthopedic surgeries and rehab, and 3 was to amputate. Now this leg was in pieces... I won't describe it because most don't want to hear it but amputation seemed the most humane... this is not a decision I ever want to make again though. So on Monday afternoon Finn became a tripod puppy.

Finn came home again on Tuesday. We are spoiling her and caring for her. She gets wet food (her favorite) to help take her pills and to sleep on the sofa (never allowed before). She gets carried up and down the stairs even though she wants to do it herself... and mom (me) bought her her own bed for when she just needs a place of her own. Even the cats are being nice to her!

So this amputation had me totally stressed out. The after care had me stressed out. How to pay for this has me totally stressed out... but we are all just so happy that Finn is still with us.

We had already purchased her Christmas gift... a Chuck it ball thrower... but maybe we'll just go for a chewy for now and give her the ball thrower for a spring gift.

So that is our story.