Okay, this is a complete Pollyanna Post.  I will probably be exhiled from Manhattan just for writing something so happy.

1.  THANK YOU a million times to all of you who have a) posted post-surgery pictures; b) shared your post-surgery experiences and tips and warnings, and c) listened to me whine. 

2.  I want to post all this good news, but I know that many of you are in a much more difficult time than I am right now, and I want to send support to all of you.  We are fortunate in that Ajax had a chondrosarcoma, not OS, so he does not have the extra post-surgery challenges of chemo, etc. that your pups and you are all going through.

3.  Having said all that, here is our Day 13 report:

Stitches out Thursday, surgeon said everything looks good and let him determine his own limits (as he has not shown any sign of trying to do anything crazy).  Except maybe keep him dry for a while. 

So ... off to Connecticut.  Big shout out to our very fortunate friends who have a very nice house with a very big yard, a pool, a 1 year old Havanese, 9,7 and 3.5 year old small people and 3 chickens.  (Yes, I understand we sound crazy).  And lots of hardwood floors.  And stairs.  So I prepped them for how this might be a fiasco. But then there is Ajax.

We didn't let him do the big stairs, but short version is he navigated everything, he chased the puppy, he observed the hens, he ran, got up, got down, went in and out of the doors and took himself for an (unauthorized but perfectly normal) dip in the pool.  HOORAY!!!!!!!!  We may have let him do a little much, but the opportunity to be out of the city, without a leash or curbs or millions of other dogs in Central Park while he adjusted to his new balancing act was too good to pass up.  Could not be happier.  I would have mocked anyone who told me this, but all of us (including him) actually kind of forgot about the missing leg for a while - on Day 13  !

4.  And for a new challenge ...we have a neighbor who is going through a serious bout with cancer, and he and his wife rushed to the hospital tonight.  They have a black lab 2 days older than Ajax.  Her name is Molly.  She is now here too.  Ajax was not pleased at first - though they are friends, an NYC apartment is full with 150 lbs of black lab and he's feeling a little vulnerable.  I have finally gotten them both to sleep, WITHOUT Molly lying on top of Ajax.

I'm calling it Black Lab Rehab.  (Molly has 4 legs but a bandaged foot and Ajax has a conehead).

That's our post - thanks again everyone!