Month: September 2023

The tail of a rear amputee tripawd…pardon the furry rug!

Dudley uses his tail as a rudder, it is almost always leaning to the side of his missing leg. It is so interesting to see the way that they adapt so quickly. We walk with a group of dogs on the weekends who know Dudley quite well. There will be a little bit of posturing but no fights. Dudley is really good at flipping around so he’s facing forward if he’s done being inspected and is really tolerant. We’ve run into a few intact males and no issues, if he feels dominated, he will just remove himself from the situation, with a few growls and warnings, but he mostly says “peace out” and moves on.

He is such an amazing dog..and after a year of having him in my life, I am so grateful. I knew that adopting an amputee would be a journey, but he has taught me so much. He likes to sidle up to a bank and pee on the brush…he will look like he’s having a seizure but actually he just needs to have his head scratched on the side his leg is missing. His groin has 2 different colors depending on whether you are looking at the amputation side or the remaining leg side. The hair is growing back in odd ways, he’s a short haired dog but he has little “feathers” on the end of his meat stump (that’s what we call it)

People are so amazed at how mobile he is…he really is the happiest boy ever and will run up to our pack walk friends with the biggest grin. I can see how his body is changing with the adjustments, his front is massive and his waist is tiny. He has definitely bulked up in the shoulders over the past year. He still slows down after about a mile of walking but he will take breaks and actually refuses to go any further but won’t go back to the car if the pack leaves without him. He will just wait for them to come back. He’s better with riding in the car, he used to cower on the floor boards but now he will sit up and look out the windows and willingly gets into the car to go for a ride. I have to lure him off the bed sometimes, but he doesn’t stress pant. I think that we could do an hour or two drive somewhere if we needed to.

He really is the dog I needed…after losing my beloved senior GSD. He truly hasn’t met a person or a dog that couldn’t be a friend…which amazes me, considering where he came from off the streets. He endured some pretty horrific conditions but he never lost his faith in humanity and dogs. And the funny thing is that a lot of the dogs from the area he was rescued from have the same outlook. They haven’t given up. They have a adoption facebook page and everyone loves their dogs from the rescue.

Dudley’s adoption day was September 3rd…Labor day weekend one year ago. I was very fortunate to have a friend who was willing to spend 6 hours driving to Portland to get him (round trip)…we drove in her car and I did the 3 am drive for most of the way because she doesn’t have good night vision. It was a big event for me, I don’t drive on the highways or freeways and I get very anxious dealing with traffic. I had a friend who lived in Portland who was able to pick Dudley up if there were any problems with the drive time and she met us at the drop off site.

We were waiting in the parking lot of Target at 6 am with my friend and this transport van pulled up full of barking dogs. There were about 6 people waiting besides us to get their cute adorable puppies and then I stepped up and said “I’m here for Dudley” He was the stressed out dog who rode in the crate behind Dean (the driver) and he was just a wreck…whale eyes, dry nose from panting for 2 days straight. The 3 hour drive home, he kept trying to stand up and wanted nothing to do with us. Once I got him to our property, he marched up the ramp and barely gave me time to scoop my blind cat off the dog bed.

It took a year for him to feel settled…he is the most stubborn dog ever but he has just started showing signs that he knows he’s home for good. He is finally comfortable in the car and has started to sit up and look out the windows. He grunts and squeals when he knows that we are going to meet up at our dog walking spot.

I feel sad knowing that he spent so much time at the rescue waiting…I know he was so loved but I’m sad that he was passed by because he is just the most amazing dog. You all did good when you rescued Dudley and Boomer, as well as the multitude of other dogs. Dudley is everything that they said he was on the site I found him on…good with cats, kids, dogs, people. Our regular group that we walk with has 5-10 dogs and Dudley loves them all!!! He is quite the charmer <3

He still has his quirks but they are mostly between him and me. I’ve learned his language and his triggers…he absolutely hates being forced off his bed to do something if it isn’t his idea. That will be a behavior we will work on during our next year together. He postures as a tough guy but I am going to work on getting him comfortable with me saying “Up Up…” and him getting up and going out the door.

He is amazing with my elderly parents…he takes a little daytime walk with my mom and hangs out with my dad while I’m at work. He’s good with their cats and is so tolerant of my nephews. He’s not a super cuddly boy but he will tolerate snuggles and stare holes in the back of my head from the comfort of his bed while I am at the computer desk…and both sets of my neighbors who have dogs love him so much that they fight over who gets to take him if I need a dog sitter.

Every day that we are able to go out in public, we are able to educate people that both rescue dogs and dogs with a disability are potential forever home dogs. Amputation is not the end of the world…Rescued is not the end of the world. Being a certain breed or having those genetics is not the end of the world. They have love in their hearts and want to be loved. I guess the thing I’ve learned from Dudley is that it takes time, sometimes a lot of time…this has been a good year and we have both learned a lot from each other.