Ok…so this post is a bit tongue in cheek but dogs…we know they have their moments and strange ways of communicating. I apologize if this takes a bit of a PG-13 tone but dogs…
So Dudley is missing his rear leg. As we all know too well, dogs have no boundaries when it comes to butt sniffing and genital sniffing. I just watched my neighbor’s GSP roll in coyote poop 2 days in a row on a walk until he finally managed to eat said poop while getting yelled at by his dad today. Dudley walks on the weekends with my friend’s lovely little long-haired dachshund/pom mix Sophie. Sophie has a habit of being obsessed with larger dogs groins since she is “right there”. Well, I learned that having a male dog who is missing a back leg leads to some uninvited inspections.
Another thought on the bolting…Sometimes he gets so excited when we meet up with the neighbor dogs for a walk and if he is off leash and happy, he goes in the wrong direction, like back to the house which is across a road that has some high traffic. I’ve learned to wait to let him off leash until I can ensure that if he gets the happy feet, he will run down the slough towards the woods. As a tripawd, he builds up that momentum and it’s hard to get him to come to a complete stop. The gait of a tripawd is really fascinating to me especially when it’s in a situation of excitement. There isn’t any stopping on a dime…they are usually a 50 cent piece past the desired stopping point. And I am also learning that there will be short bursts of running ahead and then a slowing point. Dudley does have some grasp of the “wait command” but when you ask him to wait, it involves maybe 5 or more steps before he stops. So that is something to work on! When we go across the road into the woods, I have learned the areas where I put the leash back on sooner than later. I do love giving him the swooping hands in a general direction and saying “Go, run that way!!!” He is so funny with his insistence about scattering dirt and leaves after he pees. And he has discovered the fun of burrowing under ferns along the banks. He is very selective about the areas he has to pee along. I have also caught him leaning up against trees!!!
Every day is a learning moment with a tripawd! I watched Dudley use his back leg to basically pivot around rather than lifting up his back leg to move. And he is more comfortable letting himself sink to the ground if it is needed. I also learned that he can hop up onto a bed that is low to the ground (just a box spring and mattress) with no issues. He chose to do that today when we were visiting my sister’s house. 🙂
Lol the easy access to genital sniffing…I hope Google doesn’t ban us for that convo but it’s pretty darn funny! So true. I know more than a few times our Wyatt suffered through uninvited inspectors! Of course I was probably more embarrassed by it than he was.
The Tripawd gait IS interesting! Researchers at CSU did a study on it several years ago. I think if you scroll through https://tripawds.com/tag/csu you’ll find a story about it.
Thanks Jerry! If my post is a little too risque, please let me know 🙂 I tend to find the humor in things that sometimes may be a bit too much for people. I wouldn’t take offense if it was a bit too much! I love writing and I love writing about my experiences with the animals. Dudley is a completely new subject for me and I learn something new about having a tripawd every day! I have learned so much just from what other members have written on the community site and want to share my experiences for others and also learn from people’s comments.
My poor dad lifted one of Dudley’s front legs the other day when his leash got tangled up and managed to topple Dudley over. He was horrified and I told him that once you do it, you won’t ever do it again 🙂 I will look for the article on the tripawd gait. It is really fascinating to see how they adapt to the missing limb. I want to be prepared for what Dudley will experience as he ages and also be prepared for the various forms of treatment. I bought the wheelchair for my GSD before his hips/back started going out because I happened to have the money at the time. We never got to use it but I had it if he needed it. I had also bought the GingerLead assist which I did use later on in his life. The acupuncture is the one thing that I am so happy I started doing! It made such a difference and was noticeable when we had to go a month between sessions. I tell everyone about my acupuncture vet but make sure that I don’t lose my spot with him. He also does chinese herbal medicine and we have had good results with those as well <3
I should also mention that my young nephews (7 and 10 year olds) want to design prosthetic leg sketches for Dudley. Their uncle on their dad’s side has a 3d printer. The last time we were visiting, they were talking about how they could design a leg for Dudley and have Uncle Scott make a prototype. It was really important to me to have them be aware that there are animals who can thrive even if they aren’t perfect. It has been my goal for them to realize that perfection isn’t the ideal thing. They were amazing with my old GSD and would set up his foot stool that we used for him to get into the car when it was time for us to leave…and they have continued that with Dudley. They make sure that Dudley has blankets and pillows when we visit and that his floor cushion in the living room is on top of the rug instead of the hardwood floor so that he can get up easily. And they give him hip massages. I have made sure that they understand about a rescue dog and not to wave sticks around him. Both Kota and Dudley have had bad experiences with people being abusive to them. I try to let them know about their movements and how a dog interprets it.