Terrific Tripods!

English Shepherd Tracker was a rescue from Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. With his charm and enthusiasm for life, he worked his way into the hearts of his adoptive family, Keith and Sharron Rogers, in a very short time. One afternoon, after loading into the back of their station wagon, Tracker jumped out, streaked down the driveway and into the path of an on-coming bus. His right front leg was crushed. His vets tried valiantly to save the leg but eventually recommended amputation, and through tears his owners approved the operation. They were amazed when, the morning after the operation, he came hopping out to the office bright eyed and happy to see them. He was soon with all his buddies, running, jumping and playing. As Keith tells us “Life does go on and we should all address life with a dog’s can-do attitude.”

Nine-year-old chocolate Lab Lucy was diagnosed with tissue cancer on the upper part of her front leg. Her owner, Jill Smith, who has had her since she was “just a little chocolate kiss,” had the tumour removed, but the veterinarian surgeon couldn’t get all of the cancer, so the best prognosis required amputation. Her recovery amazed her family; she literally ran out of the vet clinic. Lucy underwent water-therapy rehabilitation sessions, which she loved, and emerged with a boundless love for life—and tennis balls!

Ranger is a 14 1/2 year old Border
Collie/Sheltie-cross who lost her
leg 13 years ago. She landed at
the SPCA with a right front leg so
badly damaged that gangrene had set in and the pad on her
paw was coming off. She was
surrendered by her neglectful owner, which Joyce Olson tells
us “is one of the best things that
has ever happened for me. From
the very beginning, it was a case of ‘Who rescued who?’”
Every summer, Ranger’s chest
was stained green from grass
stains, the result of diving after
tennis balls. These days, Ranger
and Joyce go for car rides to the
park and a short sniff around,
then sit together and watch the world go by. At home, Ranger still loves to dig a hole with her one front leg and has her own spot
in the flowerbed with what has
become an excavation any dog would be proud of.

As a small pup, German Shepherd/Doberman cross Lucy was badly injured.  Lucky for her, vet Dr. Robert Hopkins rescued her rather than put her down, performing an operation on her leg and pelvis, and she was adopted into a loving home by Jenn and Dave McPherson. Her leg always gave her pain, though, and this April she went through the amputation. She is now much happier, and adapted amazingly quickly to life on three legs, becoming
an avid swimmer since undergoing physiotherapy at K9H2O in Abbotsford, BC. She loves her role as protective
den mother to a host of sick and FIV cats and kittens at Sister Jenn’s, a hospice operation for sick and FIV cats run by her guardians.
Lucy wears a textured leather Aspen
collar from ruffstuffdesigns.com.

In May, Scarlet, a young Pitbull, was seized from an abusive situation. She was taken in by HugABull and a vet tended to her leg, which had suffered untreated severe trauma. Unfortunately, the leg was too damaged to save, but one less leg hasn’t quashed Scarlet’s sweet personality. Scarlet’s very shy with new people, especially
men, and very uncertain
with affection—clearly something she’d never had—but she’s a HUGE goofball. In the morning she just about turns herself inside out with excitement, doing little play bows on her one leg. She loves dogs and most definitely will have to go to a home with at least one other canine. Perhaps your dog could be Scarlet’s Rhett Butler? Contact hugabull.com.
Scarlett wears a Jenny B Goode “Holy Cow” collar, jenniebgoode.com.