My Tripawd is an 8 month old Shiba Inu. At 6 months old we went hiking in the woods when 6 joggers were coming the other way. Shiba and her sister Mia decided to follow them because they were moving faster. I was frantic looking for them because we were 2 miles into the woods and they were nowhere to be seen. Later a park policeman came up to me and said my puppy was seen running off a 75ft cliff. I didn't believe it so I kept searching because my puppy would never just run off a cliff, that was until the policeman called me on my phone and said Shiba had been located at the bottom of the cliff.

I was a wreck. She must have gone down around 9:30am.  She was located at 10:30.  The sheriff department repelling team showed around 11:30. They too located her but was unable to catch her. They said it looked like she had a broken leg but she kept 100 ft ahead of them at all times. By 1:30 I was frantic because they were having a hard time finding her.  A female sheriff came in and I begged her to take my shirt with her to help.  She finally found Shiba face first in 3 ft crevice and was able to get her. 

My poor baby was too tired and weak to fight or go any further. They got her back up by 3p. We went straight to the hospital but they didn't have a lot of info. She bruised her lungs and had crushed and dislocated her wrist, it also was a compound fracture. I had them set her leg and I took her home because I thought she would be more comfortable with me at home.  I brought her to my vet monday morning. Her Dr came in and said her leg needs to be removed. 

My husband's and my mouth fell to the floor.  She said we can pay $8-10,000 but it probably wont work and need to be amputated anyway.  She also said the recovery is horrible for that kind of surgery.  We had to wait until Shiba's lungs healed a little and then she was scheduled for October 24, 2012.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster for her and for me. 

When she got home, she was great but then I think she was on too many medications and was really having a hard time.  I took her off the meds and she did a lot better.  She was very depressed for a while but once all the pain meds were out of her system, she started to come around to her "new normal".

 She is playing with her sister again and doing things she used to.  She is now digging holes again, running and playing and adjusting quite well. I have had more of a hard time adjusting than her, I think. I have been dealing with the guilt much better but sometimes when I see Mia coming into the room quietly and smoothly, and then see Shiba hopping and working so much harder, it breaks my heart. 

I love her even more now then before the accident.  She is my world. I could not imagine my life without her, I am so grateful she lived and we have her today.   This is my Tripawd.