As if we didn’t love him enough already, now we can add this to Obama’s resume: Three Legged Dog Lover and Anti-Puppy Mill Advocate!

Visit “A Rare Breed of Love,” and learn more about Baby, an abused puppy mill survivor and “national spokesdog” raising awareness about cruelty in the dog breeding industry.

From our friend Lalla . . . the much anticipated second episode of TRI-STIX (click to enlarge):

Here’s just a brief video follow-up to the post about my recent vet cancer checkup appointment.

This first video shows the positive results after two months on my metronomic protocol therapy for osteosarcoma lung metastasis …

Read on to see my video tour of the new Santa Fe Veterinary Cancer Care Clinic…
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Ever since my doctor told me I had a partial ACL tear, my people have been keeping me relatively confined. Or at least trying to! We’re only going on leashed walks, per doctor’s orders. Bummer.

But another home treatment that seems to be helping with my knee pain is hot and cold therapy using my Bella’s Hot/Cold Pain Relief Pack.

We’ve written about this great pet pain relief product before, and even posted a demonstration video. But now my people have discovered how to keep the pack in position on my knee, even if I move around.

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I can’t believe what a lucky dawg I am. I got to meet the one and only Calpurnia, the three legged sled dog.

If there was ever a dog that demonstrates how we Tripawds can live a great life, she can. Calpurnia is tough as nails, headstrong and rambunctious, and completely defies her age (12 years old!). We met up recently, and took a walk at the Colorado Trail, on Kenosha Pass, about 100 miles west of Denver. Well, Cali ran. At 10,000 feet above sea level, I tried to run with her, but that girl just kept flying down that trail ahead of me. My Mom couldn’t run fast enough to film her the whole time! She is simply amazing.

Calpurnia and her people, Dave and TC, are active sled dog racers that live outside of Denver. They have a big team made up of rescue dogs — all of them! — and go around the snowy Rocky Mountains, mushing and racing and having a ball all winter long. Contrary to what some people have said about sled dog racing, this sport is not mean to the dogs, or inhumane. Sled dog people absolutely love their canine team members, as you can see by how much that Dave and TC have done for Cali.

I can’t wait for fall, because we are going to meet up with Calpurnia and her team, and watch them practice for winter competition. Mushing sure looks like fun, but I think I’ll sit on the sidelines with my humans and let the real snow dogs do all the work!

Two weeks ago as I was leaving New Mexico, my pawrents and I started traveling north to meet my Tripawd friend Daisy. We’d never met in person, but we were being treated by the same oncologist in Santa Fe. We had already missed meeting each other at the clinic by one day, so now we were finally going to get to play.

Sadly, we crossed paths one more time, but still didn’t get to meet. At the exact time were traveling northbound toward Antonito, where we would meet up with Daisy in a couple of days, Daisy and her parents were traveling south, on the same road. Only it was a very sad trip for them. See, the cancer had recently gotten the best of Daisy, and her health was rapidly deteriorating. Her Mom, LeeAnn, had to make the difficult decision to help Daisy across the rainbow bridge. She and Daisy were driving to the vet’s office at the same time, on the same road, that we were on.

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When it comes to cancer treatment, it’s not about what things cost. It’s about maximizing quality of life and preparing for the inevitable.

I have cancer.

I acknowledge the fact that it will take me someday. But this is by no means an excuse for complacency. And it is no reason to be sad. Au contraire, mon chien. It is a fact of life, and death. And it calls for celebration of every beautiful day.

As the alcoholics say, acknowledgement is the first step. But it is the most important one. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. It can wreck havoc on human emotions.

The recent discussion thread about when to say when in the Tripawd forums really got me thinking about how much people hurt when they lose their beloved furry friends.

It also showed me what great support people can have for others in need.

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My friend, Ted Schneck, author of “Curing Canine Cancer,” has announced that he’s going to pedal his way across the U.S. to raise money for people who can’t afford to pay for their dog’s cancer treatments:

This summer I’ll be riding my bicycle across America - Pacific to Atlantic - 4,281 miles over 82 days - to promote dog cancer awareness and raise money that will be donated to 3 wonderful charities that help dog owners pay for dog cancer care they couldn’t otherwise afford. I’ll be leaving on May 25th from the Oregon Coast (right toe in the Pacific) - and won’t stop until I dip my left toe in the Atlantic on August 14th, 2008.

This Dog Cancer Ride Across America supports 3 wonderful dog cancer charities - “Canine Cancer Awareness”, “The Magic Bullet Fund” and the newly formed “Marty Miracle Fund” - which was formed to honor my own dog Marty, and help other dogs get the same miracle of life he got through the natural remedies we used to care for his cancer. All tax-deductible donations to the Dog Cancer Ride Across America will be managed by “Giving Globally” 501(c)(3) (an Oregon based 501(c)(3) non-profit) to ensure that these donations get to the dogs who need it most.

What a fantastic thing you are doing, Ted! Thank you for taking on this amazing and adventurous endeavor.

To learn how you can help support this important project, please visit his website, Dog Cancer Ride.com

Before my recent appointment in Santa Fe, we camped out overnight in the parking lot of Rancho de las Golandrinas.

My people checked out the vast living history museum during the day while I gladly rested in the rig. This was just fine with me really, considering I didn’t care for the canon fire from the civil war reenactment going on!

But we did meet some new friends who worked there and arranged for us to stay overnight. And that evening, we were visited by Spirit Dog.

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A lot of people are surprised that big dogs can get along as Tripawds. But did you know that even a pony can get around on three legs?

This was sent to me by my friend Calpurnia. It’s been making its way around the Internet. I hope you enjoy it!

Molly the Pony
Story by Pam Kaster

Meet Molly. She’s a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn’t seem to get sores, and how she allowed people t o handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn’t overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

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