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.
Well that old saying, “We don’t get the dog we want, we get the dog we need,” is so true isn’t it? The universe lined up you and Dudley so you could teach each other how to navigate our cray cray world courageously, happily, and with joy and acceptance in your heart.
Yes, rear leg amputees DO get really bulky up front. Our Wyatt was like that, and that tail does give them some sort of balance too. Dudley’s got a real advantage there with his.
Thanks for making my day with his beautiful mugshot and a great update. He’s so wonderful!