Life is good. Lately I’ve been living with my people in the woods near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, just soaking up the sun and loving life. But recently, I heard from a fellow Tripawd, Sammy. He was looking for some ideas for a back and ear scratcher for dogs without the use of back legs. Got any? Scratching ideas, not legs, silly!
See how Sammy tries to scratch:
Sammy is blazing through his amputation recovery like a Rock Star, even though he has faced some really big health problems. He found me because he went to the wonderful people at the University of California at Davis’ Vet Teaching Hospital too. Sammy even met my girlfriend there, Theresa Varland!
You can read all about it on his Dogster page, but here’s the short version of what 10-year old Sammy has battled. Ha, you think you’ve got it bad sometimes?
1997
- Sammy was abandoned at 5 months old in an auction yard in California’s Central Valley. Some jerk left him there after an auction, he had a cattle prod burn on his side. He found his forever home that day, thanks to Jacqueline and David Gonzalves.
2006
- Total hip replacement on left rear leg
- Dislocated front wrist due to too much weight bearing. Had 2 surgeries to fix it
2007
- Broke left rear leg, badly. Had 2 surgeries to try to save it
- Sammy lost the battle to save his leg. Amputation was the only option.
- Tooth abscess
Now, Sammy is doing much better, getting along in a special Doggie Cart, and still as spunky as ever. He is really proof that canines are the ultimate species. We never give up, live each day to the fullest, and when life gets hard, we roll with the punches and make the best of it. If only humans could remember that!
Please visit Sammy’s Dogster page, read his incredible story, and look at the crazy canine artwork he’s featured in!
Woo-hoo, Sammy! I’m so glad you found my cool pal, Jerry and his tripawds page. Jerry and his peeps used to live near us, but now they’re living the good life on the road. We hope that you can keep getting around in your cart.
We had to let our brave boy go to the bridge April 4, 2008.
We do NOT regret his amputation, as it gave him several months of happiness, and the ability to be a dog again.
His unique problems with both front and back legs caused him to have to walk in a way that torqued his spine.
He is no longer in pain, and runs free again, with all his legs, and probably his tail, too.
If you have the choice of days or weeks of pain but no surgery, or months of happiness, which would you chose?
We made the right choices, but God had other plans for our Sammy.
Oh Jacquelline, you and Sammy have an amazaing strength and courage that we all hope resides within us. Thank you for sharing Sammy’s story with us, he will be in our hearts forever.
We did a tribute to him in the forums:
http://www.tripawds.com/forums?forum=12&topic=58&page=1